


Charmed-The Evil Series

by KingKenfordIV



Category: Charmed (TV)
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-19
Updated: 2018-04-23
Packaged: 2018-11-16 02:58:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 31,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11244912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KingKenfordIV/pseuds/KingKenfordIV
Summary: In a world where good is bad & bad is good, the Charmed Ones discover their destiny as the most powerful evil witches the world has ever known and must fight good demons whose purpose is to bring them down. As they figure out what this means, will their evilness prevail? Or would the power of good demons end this powerful threat once and for all? Stay tuned.





	1. 1x01: Something Wicked This Way Comes

For the first time in almost three hundred years, the red moon was full and hovered above the city of San Francisco unbothered. The talk around the city was about the moon and nothing less than extraordinary took the topic away from the inquisitive tongues.

Piper Halliwell sat on the stoop of the Victorian Halliwell Manor, staring into the sky at the red moon, trying to decipher the meaning behind it. No one knew the reason why the moon depicted the color of blood today of all days but the astronomers let it be known that the moon would be red until the sun rose the next day, and the red moon was to be gone for another century or two.

Prue's black BMW pulls up behind Piper's Grand Jeep Cherokee and steps out, carrying a bag full of items. She walks across the pathway and stops at the stoop, looking at Piper and then at the Red Moon.

"How long have you been sitting here staring at that thing?" Prue asks.

"Not long enough. It fascinates me." Piper answers.

"The moon fascinates you? That's something I never thought I'd hear you say."

"Not just the moon. The glowing red that casts the sky in a crimson color? It has never happened before and I want to gaze at it for as long as I can."

"Whatever…" Prue says as she marches up the stoop, "Did you cook?"

"No."

"I'm sorry. Did you just say no?" Prue asks as she stops and turns around.

"Yeah, I just didn't feel like it."

"Piper, what are we supposed to eat?"

"I don't know. You're 27 years old. I'm pretty sure you can make something for yourself now."

"Ugh. You're such a bitch." Prue mutters as she walks into the house and slams the door shut.

"Love you too!" Piper shouts, loud enough for Prue to hear her.

Piper takes a deep breath and looks at her watch. She stands and walks back into her house, closing the door behind her.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

A high level high rise is seen and within the four walls of the 13th floor, a blonde woman walks in from her kitchen and places a bowl full of cat food down on her tiles for her black cat to savor. Lurking within the shadows, a man wearing a gray hooded sweater watches the woman as she moves from one room to the next.

She makes her way to an altar, littered with dark symbols and a pentagram lined out. She takes an athame and makes a long cut across her palm as the warm red blood oozed along the tip of the blade. She dips her fingers in her blood and fills in the inverted pentagram. With a touch of a finger, she begins to light up the candles one by one until all of them flicker with the clap of the thunderous noise outside. She kneels on the ground and closes her eyes as she begins to chant in a low tone:

" _Evil spirits come to me, I summon thee now, hear my plea…_ "

The woman pauses and then gasps when she turns around to see the hooded man standing behind her.

"Oh my God. You scared me!" she says as she breathes a sigh of relief.

The man conjures an athame and plunges it into the woman's chest and covering her mouth, making her screams muffled.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

Piper walks into the dining room to find Prue wearing her glasses and on the laptop typing rapidly. Piper sighs heavily and walks to her sister.

"Maybe I should cook for you seeing as how you're busy with work right now." Piper offers.

"No thanks." Prue says, barely taking her eyes off the monitor, "I already ordered a pizza."

"Oh okay." Piper says as she looks at her watch once more. Prue catches Piper checking her watch with her peripheral vision but says nothing. Piper's eyes fall onto the bag on the table, filled with a lot of different items and she reaches into the bag.

"Wow, you brought a lot of things home today from the Auction house." Piper says, as she picks up a statue and examines it.

"Yeah, this is the stuff priced to sell the most and I was able to sneak some of it out of the auction house." Prue answers.

"I see that. Are you selling these for your job or for yourself?" Piper asks with a smile.

"I'm selling this for us." Prue answers.

"Won't anyone notice that some of these things were missing?" Piper asks.

"Not if I didn't log it in the catalogue. Come on, Piper. This isn't my first time sneaking things out of the auction house." Prue says with smile.

"I know. I know, just making sure." Piper says as her eyes land on the spirit board buried underneath all the clutter Prue brought home.

"Is that our old spirit board?" Piper asks as she pulls the spirit board out, "Where did you find this?"

"Digging through the basement." Prue answers as she continues to type.

"Wow..." Piper whispers as she runs her fingers over the letters and turns the spirit board over, "  _'To my three beautiful girls. May this give you the darkness to fight the light. The power of three will set you free. Love Mom.'_ " Piper reads and then looks up at Prue, "We never did figure out what this inscription meant."

"Well, send that to Phoebe. She's so optimistic, it's disgusting. Maybe a little darkness might help." Prue says.

"Be careful what you wish for." Piper mumbles.

"What was that?" Prue asks loudly.

"Nothing…" Piper shouts back, "Wait a minute, why was the spirit board with the rest of your auction stuff you brought home from work?"

"Piper, I…" Prue stutters as she takes off her glasses and stares at Piper.

"You took it to the auction house to sell it?!" Piper says, uncovering the truth.

"I did." Prue answers quickly.

"Why?"

"Thought we could make a few bucks off it."

"How could you? This is one of the only few things Mom left for us and you were going to sell it?" Piper says in disbelief.

"Well, nobody wanted it so it looks like we're good." Prue says, unaffected.

"I don't even know why I'm surprised." Piper says, shaking her head, "No wonder Phoebe acts the way she does towards you."

"Well, Phoebe's in New York so…"

"Not anymore." Piper blurts out.

"What do you mean?" Prue asks in a serious tone.

"She's no longer in New York. She's on her way here." Piper answers.

"How long have you known about this?" Prue asks.

"A week or two? I don't know." Piper answers as she folds her arms.

"This is the reason why you keep checking your watch?" Prue asks as Piper nods her response, "When does she arrive?"

As if on cue, Phoebe walks through the front door carrying a backpack and a duffel bag, slamming the door shut. The sky begins to rumble as dark clouds form and strong winds begin to blow.

"Surprise!" she says with a smile, holding a key in her hand, "I found the hide-a-key."

"Well the door wasn't locked in the first place but okay…" Prue says, rolling her eyes.

"Phoebe!" Piper says as she walks up to her sister and gives her a hug, "Welcome home."

"It feels good to be home. Not much has changed." Phoebe says, looking around.

The cab outside honks the horn repeatedly, causing Piper groan angrily.

"Is that the cab?" Piper asks, "I'll go take care of him."

"No, just leave him be. He's waiting for me to pay him. He'll eventually get tired of waiting." Phoebe says, "Besides, it looks like we're about to get hit with a thunderstorm."

"So is that all you brought?" Prue asks looking at Phoebe's belongings.

"That's all I own. That and a bike."

"Right." Prue says as she flashes a cold smile, "Just know that we're not selling the house."

"Is that why you think I came back?"

"I wouldn't put past you." Prue says, "We moved back here because this family has owned this house for generations and…"

"I know, Prue. No history lesson needed, Prue. I grew up here too." Phoebe scoffs, "So can we skip all of that and get to the root of what's really bothering you?"

"No, because I'm still furious with you." Prue answers.

"So you'd rather have a tense reunion with unimportant small talk and boring chit chat?"

"Clearly. It would be the most interesting conversation I've had in a long while." Prue shoots back.

"Gee, thanks." Piper says sarcastically.

"I never touched Roger." Phoebe finally blurts out.

"Whoa…" Prue says, caught by surprise.

"Well, I never did but now I'm thinking I should have based on how you're treating me." Phoebe shouts at her sister, "Then you'd actually have a reason to hate me."

DING DONG!

"That must be the pizza!" Piper says as she runs towards the door. She grabs the purse by the door and Prue's voice can be heard screaming, "That's mine!"

"Yeah, your pizza!" Piper screams back as she opens the door.

"Hi.." the pizza man says to which Piper rolls her eyes, "The total is $15, not including tip."

"Tip?" Piper laughs as she hands the money to the pizza man, "You wish."

Piper snatches the box from him and slams the door shut.

"Who's ready for some pizza?" Piper asks.

"I'm no longer hungry." Prue says as she walks away into the dining room table.

"I ate on the bus." Phoebe says as she walks towards the bannister and heads up the stairs.

"Great." Piper sighs, "We'll try the group hug later!"

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

Bright lights, chirping birds and green grass can be seen as a group of people wearing white cloaks march in unison towards a crystal ball perched on top of a tall jagged cliff. The cloaks surround the crystal ball and one of the men steps out of the ranks and stands closer. He hovers his hands over the crystal ball as the white smoke revolving within the crystal ball turns red.

"The final sign has been revealed." The man announces, "The red moon is high in the night's sky. The Charmed Ones are about to be unveiled tonight."

"Is there any way to prevent this from happening? We cannot have such a great concentration of power to be released into the world." Another one of the cloaks says.

"We have dispatched various entities out into the world to find out where they are. They are currently hidden and won't be revealed until they say the incantation and obtain their powers." the leader says.

"So there is nothing we can do?"

"It was prophesized so what was foreseen shall come to pass." The leader answers, "Hopefully, our men will be able to find them and end them before they realize their full potential."

"Hopefully…" the second man whispers.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

Andrew Trudeau and Darryl Morris sit at their desks across from each other with their feet resting on top of their files. Darryl opens a can of beer and Andy lights up a cigar, takes a puff and sighs. The Captain walks into the station with a woman on each arm. They smile and giggle as he walks past Andy's desk without paying him any mind.

"You sound like you're having a grand ol' time." Andy laughs heartedly with the cigar in his mouth.

"I could say the same about you." The Captain replies.

"Your wife called for you, Captain." Darryl says as he takes a sip of his beer.

"What wife?" The captain asks loudly as the entire precinct erupts in laughter.

"Hold my calls for the rest of the day." The Captain says as he leads the girls into his office and pauses, "Oh, a homicide got called in a few minutes ago. One of you guys might want to look into that."

The Captain slams the door shut as the giggles grow louder behind the closed doors.

"Do you want to check it out?" Darryl asks.

"No…" Andy scoffs, "Do I look like I'm ready to work right now?"

"No but I've already answered the call and assigned us to it." Darryl says.

"I really hate you sometimes, you know that?" Andy mumbles.

Darryl's smile grows wide as he takes another swig of the beer in his hand, "Dead woman, and no leads. It would be fun!"

"Your idea of fun and my idea of fun are not the same." Andy says as he begrudgingly grabs his coat and Darryl follows suit.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

The howling of the wind mixed with heavy rain sweeps the streets of San Francisco as numerous people run for cover. Phoebe lies in bed watching television with a smile as a thunderous boom shakes the house with a flash of lightning accompanying it shortly after.

"Knock knock?" Piper says as she opens the door and pokes her head in.

"Come in." Phoebe invites her sister.

Piper walks with a few slices of pizza and a tall glass of juice.

"Thank God. I'm starving!" Phoebe says with relief.

"Yeah, I kind of figured that you were." Piper says with a smile as Phoebe takes a bite, "What are you watching?"

"The news." Phoebe answers, "Some woman got murked downtown."

"Murked?" Piper laughs, "Phoebe, you've been in New York way too long."

"Yeah, it's looking like I should've stayed." Phoebe sighs, "I didn't come back just to have arguments and passive aggressive moments with Prue. I'm really over it."

"Yeah, I know but you guys had unresolved issues and instead of you staying to talk about them, you ran away to New York."

"Is that why you thought I left? Because I couldn't face my issues?" Phoebe asks.

"I don't know. You tell me."

Phoebe sighs and looks down.

"You know what? Forget it. Let's do something fun." Piper suggests, trying to change the subject.

"Fun like what?"

"Prue found the old spirit board we used to play with when we were younger." Piper says.

"We're too old to be playing with that…" Phoebe says as she takes a sip of her drink.

"Come on! It's better than sitting here and doing nothing." Piper says as she grabs Phoebe's hand and jumps off the bed.

"Piper, wait a minute…" Phoebe laughs as Piper drags her off the bed and runs out of the room with Phoebe trailing behind.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

Across the city of San Francisco, Darryl and Andy walk around the apartment of the latest murder victim. The CSI and other police officers are present, taking pictures of the scene. Darryl and Andy stand over the woman's body, examining the tattoo drawn on the woman's shoulder. Darryl waves at the paramedics and they zip up the victim in a black bag, place her on a gurney and wheel her out of the apartment. Seemingly bored and uninterested, Andy yawns loudly and walks up to Darryl, who was talking to one of the officers.

"Ok, we came, we saw and we did what we were supposed to do. Can we go now?" Andy asks.

"I'm almost done…" Darryl says as he begins to jot on his notepad.

"Done doing what?" Andy asks, "Pretend to care?"

"I don't pretend to care. Unlike you, I like my job and like what I do and I'm good at it, unlike you. I just want to get to the bottom of this."

"Bottom of what?" Andy laughs, "Nobody cares about some young dead broad, Morris. She was stabbed, plain and simple."

"This is the fourth woman killed in the last week next to an altar." Darryl says.

"Maybe she was killed because she was a witch." Andy deduces, looking over his shoulder at the altar.

"A witch? Where did you get that from?"

"Occult markings, a ceremonial knife witches use to direct energy called an athame and candles that were lit forming a half circle around a pentagram. Yeah, that tattoo over her shoulder? That's called a triquetra."

Darryl stares at Andy, jaw dropped in awe.

"But don't mind me. You're definitely better at your job than I am." Andy says with a smile as he walks away, "If you need me, I'll be in the car."

A young man approaches Darryl with a notepad and a tape recorder, "Jeremy Burns, San Francisco Chronicle. You care to comment?"

"A woman was stabbed, plain and simple." Darryl says without emotion as he walks away.

Jeremy watches as Darryl walks away and sighs heavily.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

Piper and Phoebe sit at a table in the conservatory with their hands on the pointer of the spirit board.

"So when did you meet Jeremy?" Phoebe asks.

"About six months ago when Grams was admitted to the hospital." Piper says, "He saw me punch one of the doctors for telling me there was nothing to do for Grams and he bought me a scone and coffee to calm me down."

"I remember that day." Phoebe says with a smile.

"Yeah, he ended up air dropping his number into my phone and the rest is history." Piper says, "Hey, stop pushing the pointer! You always used to push the pointer."

"I'm not pushing anything…" Phoebe laughs, "And how romantic. You found someone who can quell that harsh temper of yours."

"Yeah, sometimes he can and sometimes he can't." Piper says as she stands up, "It's a coin toss. You want any more popcorn?"

"Yeah." Phoebe answers, "Hey, I forgot your question."

"I asked if Prue would have sex with anyone besides herself this year." Piper shouts as she heads into the kitchen.

"You don't need the spirit board for that." Phoebe answers, "You know Prue's a whore."

Immediately, the pointer shifts to the letter "A" and then to the letter "T".

"Piper! Get in here!" Phoebe says, freaking out.

Piper walks in with and Prue follows her soon after.

"What is it?" Piper asks.

"What did you guys do now?" Prue adds.

"Don't look at me." Piper answers as she points to Phoebe.

"The pointer on the spirit board, it moved on its own." Phoebe says. Piper and Prue give her a blank stare.

"You were probably pushing it." Piper scoffs.

"No, I didn't. I was barely touching it." Phoebe says.

"You always used to push the pointer." Prue says as she folds her arms.

"My fingers were barely touching it, Prue! Watch!" Phoebe says as she puts her fingers over the pointer again. Nothing happens.

"Yeah, I'm going off to bed." Prue says as she turns around and walks away. Piper begins to follow her when the pointer moves to the letter "T".

"It did it again!" Phoebe exclaims. Prue and Piper turn around.

"It's still on the letter 'T'." Prue says.

"I swear it moved!" Phoebe says adamantly. Prue rolls her eyes and walks away. The pointer begins to move and Phoebe jumps backwards.

"There!" Phoebe says to Piper who walks closer to the table in shock, "You saw that, right?"

"Yeah, I think so." Piper says, unsure of what she saw. The pointer begins to move once more.

"Prue! Get over here!" Piper screams.

"You must be out of your damn mind calling out to me like this." Prue says, marching in as her eyes fall onto the spirit board moving to the letter 'C'.

"I think it's trying to tell us something." Phoebe says as she takes an envelope and scribbles on the back. She turns it over and shows her sisters the message, reading "ATTIC".

A loud clap of thunder shakes the house and the power goes out.

"Great! This is just what we need." Piper groans.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

Piper grabs her jacket and heads straight to the front door when Prue stops her.

"Piper, don't you think you're overreacting? We're perfectly safe over here." Prue assures Piper.

"I'm not worried about being safe. I'm bored and I can't live without electricity and internet. Life without Wi-Fi is too much for me to bear. And now things moving by themselves? I'm going to Jeremy's."

"In the rain? Jeremy's not even home yet." Prue says.

"I'll wait outside until he comes home." Piper says.

"Piper…"

"No, Prue. I saw that pointer move. There's no way this is natural. Natural terror I can handle. Supernatural stuff? I cannot handle that."

"Look, come with me into the basement to help me switch the lights back on." Prue asks.

"No, ask Phoebe. She's the one who needs a 'little darkness' in her life, remember?" Piper mocks.

"Nope!" Phoebe's voice can be heard yelling in the distance wielding a flashlight, "I'm going into the attic."

"Phoebe, we agreed to wait until the morning…" Prue says but Phoebe cuts her off.

"No,  _you_  agreed. I'm not waiting until tomorrow to check the attic."

"We have never been able to open the door to the attic since Grams died…" Piper says.

"Well, you guys have tried. I haven't. I'm going up there now." Phoebe says as she walks up the attic. Prue grunts out of frustration and walks towards the kitchen with Piper following her.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

Phoebe arrives to the door of the attic and jiggles the knob. She slams her shoulder into the door in an effort to break it open but to no avail. Breathing a sigh of exasperation, she gives up and turns around, slowly making her way down the stairs when the attic door opens slowly. A rumble of thunder is heard as Phoebe steps into the attic for the first time. Her heart beats faster and faster with every step she takes walking into the dust riddled attic. She flashes the light around and in an instant, a red light shining from the window shines upon an ancient chest. Phoebe walks up to the window and sees the light emanating from the blood moon.

She opens the chest and takes out an ancient, thick green book. She closes the chest and sits on it. She wipes the dust with her palm, revealing the red triquetra embedded on the cover. She opens the book and reads the first words on the page.

"The Grimoire…" Phoebe says as a flash of lightning lights up the room for a brief moment, accompanied by another clap of thunder. Phoebe turns the next page and stares at the page. Besides her better judgment, she begins to feel compelled to read the incantation out loud even though she didn't understand what difference it would make. Taking a deep breath, she begins to read the words carefully.

" _Here now the words of the witches,_  
The secrets we hid in the night.  
The oldest of gods are invoked here;  
The great work of magic is sought.  
In this night, and in this hour,  
I call upon the ancient power.  
Bring your powers to we sisters three,  
We want the power.  
Give us the power…"

Another rumble of thunder shakes the house and Phoebe looks around terrified. A red light sweeps through the Manor and the chandelier begins to shake, emitting a red and black light. A picture of the three sisters sitting on the table standing apart magically moves the three sisters closer together in the frame. The red light disappears and everything returns to normal.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

The Council of cloaks encircle their crystal ball, watching as various images quickly appear and disappear. The red smoke overpowers the white smoke and the crystal ball explodes and sends a red wave through the area, knocking them back. The leader looks around and then looks at the shattered crystal ball.

"It has begun." He says with a hint of fear tinged in his voice, "May the gods have mercy on us all."

TO BE CONTINUED.


	2. 1x01: Something Wicked This Way Comes (2)

Knocked unconscious, laying on the ground is Phoebe with the Grimoire sprawled out next to her as the lightning flashes and thunder booms outside. Prue and Piper's voices can be heard in the distance, growing louder as they near the attic.

"She opened it. I can't believe she opened it." Piper says in disbelief as she walks into the attic with Prue. The sisters freeze in their tracks as they see their baby sister lying unconsciously on the floor and rush to her without hesitation.

"Phoebe?!" Prue says as she kneels next to her sister and places her head on her lap as Piper tries to shake her awake.

"Phoebe! Come on, wake up!" Piper shouts as she places her fingers on her carotid artery to check for a pulse. Piper closes her eyes and feels for a heartbeat as her own began to race.

With a loud gasp, Phoebe's eyes sprang open as she sat up and coughed. Prue breathes a sigh of relief and stands up as Piper pats her sister on the back to relieve her of any pain and provide comfort.

"Are you okay?" Piper asks.

"Yeah…" Phoebe says in a strained voice, "I'm fine."

"What happened?" Prue asks.

"I don't know. Last thing I remember is reading an incantation in this…" Phoebe begins to explain as she picks up the Grimoire from the floor and hands it to Prue, "…this Grimoire. I found it in that trunk."

"How did you even get in here?" Piper asks.

"The door  _opened_."

"Wait a minute, an incantation? What kind of incantation?" Piper asks.

"It said something about there being the three essentials of magic…" Phoebe explains as she fidgets her hands nervously, "Uh, timing, feeling and phases of the moon. If we were ever going to do this, now – midnight when the full moon bleeds – is the most powerful time."

"This?" Piper asks as her eyes widened, "What do you mean this? Do what?"

"Receive our powers…" Phoebe answers.

"What powers? Wait,  _our_  powers? You included me in this?" Piper asks.

"No, she included all of us…" Prue says as she begins to read from the Grimoire, " _'Bring your powers to we sisters three…'_  It's a book of witchcraft."

"Let me see that!" Piper says anxiously as she snatches the Grimoire from Prue's arms.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

A man stands outside of the Halliwell Manor in the rain, as the crimson red moon hovers behind him in the sky. He watches the Manor, face shielded with his black hooded raincoat and his arms crossed behind his back.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

Speed walking down the stairs, the sisters try to keep up with Prue as she lets her frustration be known.

"Spirit boards, books of witchcraft. It figures all this freaky stuff started when you arrived." Prue spits angrily.

"It doesn't matter. Because nothing happened, right Phoebe, when you did that incantation?" Piper asks, hoping Phoebe will tell her what she needed to hear to quell her worries.

"Well, my head spun around and I vomited split-pea soup. How should I know?"

"Well, everything looks the same. Nothing has changed, right?" Piper asks as she marches across the living room floor with her sisters, walking by the magically altered picture of the Charmed Ones.

The man in the dark hooded jacket standing outside of the Manor adjusts his gloves and slowly walks away, his pace increasing the further he is from the Victorian Mansion.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

The next day, the calm after the storm embraced San Francisco with the sunshine, fresh breeze and birds chirping. The clouds moved in the morning sky, kissed into brilliant white by the sun. Dark clouds hovered over the Halliwell Manor in the clear blue sky, making the Manor looking ominous and out of place to those who stopped and noticed.

Phoebe sat outside the Manor with a cup of coffee in her hand, watching the cars drive by and the neighbors driving off to work. Piper walks out of the Manor carrying a box and sits next to Phoebe on the stoop.

"You're up early." Piper says.

"I never went to sleep." Phoebe says as she takes a sip of her coffee. She sees Piper carrying the box, "What's that?"

"Just something Jeremy had delivered to me to ensure I get this job." Piper smiles.

"Right…" Phoebe says as she takes another sip of her coffee.

"So you were up all night? Don't tell me you put on a black conical hat and spent the night flying around the neighborhood on a broomstick." Piper laughs.

"Ha ha ha…" Phoebe mocks Piper, "Very funny. I was up reading all night. Where's Prue?"

"She went to work early. Something about a meeting." Piper answers, "Reading aloud?"

"No." Phoebe exhales, "According to the Grimoire, one of our ancestors was a witch, named Melinda Warren…"

Piper scoffs as she stands up, "And we have a cousin who's a nun, an aunt who's famous like Beyoncé and a father who's invisible."

Piper walks down the stairs and Phoebe stands up, following her to her car.

"I'm serious, Piper. She practiced powers. Three powers. She could move objects with her mind, see the future and stop time. Before Melinda was burned at the stake, she vowed that each generation of Warren witches would become stronger and stronger, exacting vengeance for burning her at the stake, ultimately culminating in the arrival of three sisters. Now, these sisters would be the most powerful witches the world has ever known. They're evil witches and I think we're those sisters."

"Do you hear how you sound right now?" Piper asks as she opens the door to her car and places the box on the passenger seat. She pauses and turns to her sister, "Our ancestor is evil and we're supposed to exact revenge on whoever burned her at the stake all those years ago? Come on, Phoebe. Even you got to know that this is farfetched."

"I wouldn't have believed it too if last night didn't happen but it did…"

"Maybe Prue is right…" Piper mumbles to herself, "You are too optimistic for your own good."

"I'm serious, Piper. I think that this is real." Phoebe says, "I can't explain it but I feel it in my gut and I'm learning to trust my gut."

"Look, I know what happened last night was weird and unexplainable but we're not witches and we do not have special powers. Besides, Grams wasn't a witch and as far as we know, neither was mom." Piper rants as she kisses her sister on the cheek, "So take that, Olivia Pope!"

Phoebe watches her sister get into her car and backs away as the engine roars.

"We're the judge, jury and executioners; we're the punishers of the guilty!" Phoebe says as she raises her voice as Piper drives off, "We're known as the Charmed Ones!"

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

The chatter and the constant bustle of the auction house was at an all-time high today. Feelings of uncertainty and rumors filled the air, ensuing panic and minimal chaos. Prue walked into the conference room filled with many of her co-workers who wore the same nervous expression on their faces. Prue sits down next to a co-worker and whispers to her.

"Hey, Tracy. What's going on?" Prue asks.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Tracy answers, "Supposedly, we are all on the chopping block."

"Do you know who is safe and who isn't?" Prue asks.

Tracy shakes her head in response. She looks up and sees Roger walking into the conference room and takes a seat behind Prue.

"If there's anyone who I wish got fired today…" Prue whispers as Tracy laughs quietly.

"Hello, Prue…" Roger says in a soft, deep voice.

"Go away, Roger." Prue says, rolling her eyes and turning her back towards him.

"You might want to be nice to me, Prue." Roger says with a smile, "I heard it through the grapevine that I might be getting promoted and I will be your boss soon."

"Yeah, I doubt that's going to happen." Prue says.

"Mark my words, Prue. You'd be wishing you were back in my bed after today because I know what power does to you."

"Do you?" Prue asks, spinning her chair to face him for the first time, "You seem so sure of yourself."

"Ask Phoebe." Roger smiles, "She'll tell you what you missed."

Prue glares at Roger angrily and squints her eyes. Almost instantaneously, Roger's chair flips over and he falls on his back, grunting in pain.

The entire conference room erupts in laughter as Roger stands up and looks around, slightly embarrassed.

A man in a business suit walks into the conference room with a man and a woman walking directly behind him. He walks to the front of the room, with both people flanking each side.

"Settle down…" the man says as he clears his throat, "Roger, have a seat. This is not the time for your foolish antics."

Roger brushes his hair with his fingers, adjusts his tie and glasses and sits down.

"Now, I know you're all wondering why I've brought you all here today." The man begins as the room calms down, "I have been the owner and CEO of this auction house for eleven years. I put my soul into this place only to find out some bad things about the company."

Murmurs begin to arise among the employees as the boss raises his hand and the room falls silent.

"It is with great regret that I announce my resignation as the CEO of this company…" he says as a collective sound of gasps and whispers occupy the room once more, "I can no longer keep the company afloat despite all my efforts to keep us going. I have to my left and to my right the saviors of this company and the new owners of the Auction house, Mr. Rex Buckland and Ms. Hannah Webster; joint co-owners of this auction house. It's an honor being able to work with you all and I now take my leave."

Prue bites her lip nervously as Rex shakes the former CEO's hand and watches him walk out of the conference room.

"Hello everybody. As your former boss introduced, I am Rex Buckland…" he says with a thick British accent, "and this is my partner Hannah Webster."

Hannah waves her hand like a princess sitting on a float.

"First things first, the auction house is going to undergo a serious change." Rex begins, "Starting with the name. Henceforth, the name of this auction house is Buckland's Auction House."

The buzz begin to fill the air once more and Rex raises his hand to silence his new employees.

"Secondly, according to our books, we have a lot of missing funds and in coordination with the items you have been auctioning off, something fishy is going on. We traced the missing inventory and funds to one person and that person is…"

Prue's heart begins to race as she begins to pick her cuticles nervously. Her eyes scan the entire room and then looks at Rex and Hannah, whose eyes are fixated on Prue.

"Roger Davidson, you're fired. Please hand in your letter of resignation by the end of the business day today or else you will not use us as a reference wherever and whenever you decide to seek employment elsewhere." Rex says coldly.

Prue's heart sinks into her stomach as she releases a small sigh of relief.

"This is impossible. I didn't do this!" Roger proclaims, "You've got the wrong person. Look at my record again. You can see it that I am not the one in the wrong here."

"I have…I mean, we have reviewed your accounts over and over again and we have come up with the same results." Rex says un-emphatically, "Please remove yourself and your belongings before we are forced to take action."

Roger stands up slowly and walks out of the conference room, looking defeated.

"Thirdly, since I do not know any of you guys, we will be conducting an interview to get to know you all. We will try to see how experienced and what your area of expertise is regarding this job. Hope and wish you all the best." Rex says as he walks out of the conference room with Hannah following suit.

"Well, damn." Tracy says to Prue, "I guess there's a new sheriff in town, huh?"

"I guess…" Prue says as she tucks her hair behind her ears nervously as she stares at Roger walking toward his office.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

In a restaurant named Quake, Piper prepares her audition meal, stirring the pot. She sprinkles a little bit of salt into her meal and runs over to the table. She picks up a measuring cup and pours the port wine into the measuring cup when Chef Moore barges with a non chalant attitude.

"Your time…" he says with a heavy French accent followed with a loud clap, "Is up! Let's see."

He heads over to the table and picks up an index card and begins to read, " _Roast pork with a gratin of fennel and penne with a port giblet sauce_."

"Uh, Chef Moore…" Piper stutters.

"What?"

"Uh, the port…"

"Ah yes…" Chef more says, "…without the sauce, it is nothing more than a salty marinara. A recipe from a woman's magazine. Puh!"

"I know but I just…"

"Ah-ah!" Chef Moore shushes Piper and Piper's demeanor turns into a stunned and angry one. Chef Moore raises the fork to his mouth and takes a bite of the roast pork.

"What is this crap?" he asks, "You claim to be this exquisite chef and this is what you present to me?"

Piper's eyes fall on the box she received from Jeremy before and she inches closer to try to grab it.

"That's it!" Chef Moore exclaims, "Pack your things and go."

Chef Moore turns around to walk away. Panicking, Piper tries to call for Chef Moore when she extends her hands and the freezing sound effect can be heard leaving Chef Moore standing there like a statue.

"Uh, Chef Moore?" Piper says as she runs to the rude chef, who is still standing still. She waves her hands in front of him but nothing happens, no blink, no words, nothing.

Piper begins to panic as she paces back and forth.

"Think, Piper. Think!" Piper mutters to herself as her eyes fall on the box. She looks at Chef Moore and then runs to the box. She opens it up and digs through a few papers and reads them carefully. A smile grows on her face as she turns around to face him. In an instant, Chef Moore unfreezes and continues to walk out.

"You really do not want to walk out on me right now, Chef Moore." Piper says with a smile.

"And why would I not want to do that?"

"Because I have in my possession a contract you have with this restaurant, Chef…" Piper says as she walks closer to him, "Your contract is valid for the rest of the year. I also see that you just signed another contract to open your other restaurant, taking with you all that was provided to you here and take it there…"

"And?"

"And if these restaurant owners of Quake were to receive an anonymous email informing them of your plans, they can sue you for breach of contract and copyright all the recipes you have created in this restaurant and claim it as their own." Piper says with a smile and then she begins to whisper, "How can you run your own restaurant without your own original recipes?"

Chef Moore stares Piper down, as his face begins to turn red with rage, Piper's smile widens.

Through gritted teeth, Chef Moore looks at Piper and says, "When can you start?"

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

Taking advantage of the beautiful day after the crazy thunderstorm from the night before, Phoebe pedals through the neighborhood on her bicycle. With the birds chirping and the sun beaming, she smiles at everyone passing by and they shoot her questionable glances in return.

As she turns the corner, she sees a pawn shop right up the street. She feels a tingle in her skin, a jolt in her bones and a pulling sensation that conjures up a cloudy vision for a split second. She looks around and then looks down the street, shrugging off what she thought was a daydream.

Another tingle, jolt and a pull away from her reality hits her once more as she sees three men run out of the pawn shop with black masks and large sacks. The San Francisco PD pull up to the scene and immediately swing their doors open.

"SFPD! Freeze!" one of the cops says as he takes cover behind his open car door with his weapon drawn, "Stop running!"

The men continue to run towards a car as the cop, left with no choice pulls the trigger, hitting one of the men running away. Phoebe's vision returns to normal as she looks around bewildered and confused. She rubs her eyes, trying to convince herself her imagination is running wild.

An alarm begins to ring out loud as three men in ski masks bust out of the pawn shop, running towards their getaway vehicle.

"Go, go, go!" one of the men shouts as they run.

The police car pulls up on the curb and two police men jump out of the vehicle.

"SFPD, Freeze!" one of the policemen shouts.

"Oh no!" Phoebe says as she begins to peddle faster. She rides closer to the cops and slides towards the cops on her bike, knocking the cop on the driver's side of the car backwards with her bicycle.

The robbers jump into their getaway car and speed off.

"They got away!" the other cop says as he runs to the driver's side to check on his partner. His partner is knocked unconscious and Phoebe winces in pain.

A black cat sits across of the pawn shop, wearing a collar with the triquetra branded into it. It meows as many more cops pull up to the scene.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

Piper paces back and forth on her cell phone in the parking lot of Quake. The phone on the other end can be heard ringing as she whispers to herself, "Please, pick up the phone. Please, pick up the phone, Phoebe."

She hangs up out of frustration and groans loudly. She turns around and heads towards her car when she sees Jeremy standing in front of her car with a bouquet of black roses.

"What is this?" Piper asks with a smile.

"Your favorite…" Jeremy says as he plants a kiss, "I wanted to be the first to congratulate you on your new job."

"You're always surprising me, how did you know?"

"You prepared your specialty, and everyone who's ever sampled your work can see how truly talented you are."

"Well, my work wasn't enough but the gift you gave me was…" Piper says.

"I guess it pays to have a journalist for a boyfriend who can dig up all the dirt on people for you." Jeremy says with a smile.

"I get so turned on when you talk recklessly like that." Piper says as she leans in for a kiss.

"Embezzlement, tax evasion, fraud…" Jeremy says as they two lock lips.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

Walking up the desk in San Francisco General, Prue stares at the receptionist waiting for her to be acknowledged. After waiting for a brief second, she bangs her hand on the desk and the receptionist looks up, clearly not amused.

"Can I help you?" she asks.

"Yeah, I'm looking for my sister. Name is Phoebe Halliwell?"

"Ok, one second." The nurse says as she turns to the man standing next to Prue, "And what's your name again, sir?"

"Inspector Andrew Trudeau, homicide." He says proudly.

"Calm down, it's not that serious." The receptionist says as she rolls her eyes. Prue looks up from her phone to get a better look at Andy.

"Andy?"

"Prue?" Andy responds, "I don't believe it. How are you?"

"I'm ok. How are you?"

"Same…I just can't believe I'm running into you again."

"Yeah, I'm here to pick up Phoebe. She got into some sort of accident on 24th." Prue explains.

"By the pawn shop?" Andy asks.

"Yeah."

"That's why I'm here. I'm here to ask the witness questions regarding the robbery that happened around that time." Andy says, "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, it's Phoebe. She'll be fine." Prue shrugs.

As the two stare at each other, they share a lingering gaze that captures a moment lost in time, tinged by silence. The awkward silence is broken by the receptionist who stands between the two.

"Dr. Gordon is with Miss Halliwell in X-Ray so that'll be another fifteen minutes." She informs them.

"Ok…." Prue says, looking at the receptionist. The receptionist continues to stare at Prue and Andy.

"You can go now…" Prue says dismissively.

"Rude…" the receptionist whispers as she walks away as Andy laughs loudly.

"Same old Prue. Taking no crap from anyone." Andy says.

"I've calmed down since high school but yeah." Prue says, "So you're an inspector now?"

"Yeah, in any other city, I'd be a detective." Andy laughs

"Inspector is more badass." Prue compliments.

"I'll take that." Andy smiles.

"Your dad must be proud." Prue compliments.

"Yeah, I guess. That's the first thing I've done that actually got his approval as you remember, he wasn't my biggest fan through high school." Andy says, "So what about you? Are you conquering the world and slaying dragons, Khaleesi?"

"Was that supposed to be a  _Game of Thrones_  reference?" Prue laughs.

"Yeah, you like?"

"I'm impressed." Prue answers, "I'm still living at home with my sister…sisters. Heard you moved to Portland."

"I'm back now." Andy says, "You still, uh, you still seeing Roger?"

Prue is taken aback at the statement, "How did you know about that?"

"I have my little birds everywhere." Andy smiles.

"Really, Lord Varys?" Prue laughs, "You checked up on me?"

"I wouldn't call it that." Andy blushes.

"What would you call it?"

"Inquiring minds want to know?" Andy chuckles, "What can I say? I'm a detective."

"Right…" Prue smiles as she folds her arms.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

"The Chosen Ones? The Charmed Ones? Phoebe, that's insane!" Prue says as she takes a shot at a bar with Phoebe sitting next to her.

"Are you telling me that nothing strange happened to you today? You didn't freeze time or move anything?"

"Our new boss took our old boss away from us." Prue says, "All right, Phoebe, look, I know you think you can see the future which is pretty ironic…"

"Since you don't think I have one, that my vision of life is too bright and full of unicorns and rainbows compared to your disastrous heaven?" Phoebe rants, "Even if you don't want to believe me, just once can't you trust me?"

"Phoebe, I do not have supernatural powers, ok?! Now where is the cream?!" Prue says angrily.

A silver cup filled with cream slides across the bar to Prue and the cream drains from the cup appears in her black coffee, as it begins to bubble.

"Really?" Phoebe says with a smile, "That looks pretty special to me."

"Oh, my God. So, um, I can move things with my mind?" Prue stutters.

"With how much you hold inside, you should be a weapon of mass destruction by now." Phoebe says.

"I don't believe it." Prue says nervously.

"This must mean that Piper can freeze time." Phoebe ponders to herself.

Prue takes a shot of tequila and knocks it back quickly.

"Are you okay?" Phoebe asks.

"No, I'm not okay." Prue shouts, "You've turned me into a witch."

"No, you were born one. We all were." Phoebe says with a sympathetic smile, "And I think we better start to deal with it."

"Wipe that smirk off your face." Prue says, "It's not funny."

"This is a good thing, Prue."

"How is this a good thing?!" Prue asks, "Even in a world as messed up as this, witches are hated and despised. They haven't rescinded the execution law of witches for a reason, Phoebe."

"That's only because mortals fear what they do not understand and envy what they cannot have. They only put those laws in place because we can use our powers for our own personal gain, which gives us an upper hand."

"Exactly my point, Phoebe. Witches can run the world if they could, but that law is what keeps them…us in check." Prue rants.

"When I was looking through the Grimoire, I saw these wood carvings. They looked like something out of a Bosch painting…"

"I love Bosch paintings." Prue smiles absentmindedly.

"Focus, Prue…"

"Right, continue." Prue clears her throat.

"In these carvings, I saw all these terrifying images of three women battling different incarnations of good."

"Good fighting good…" Prue shudders, "That's a twist."

"Actually, a witch can be either good or evil. Our ancestor, Melinda Warren was a good witch trying to do well in the world but because she was burned at the stake, she cursed the townspeople and vowed that each generation of Warren witches will avenge her and never fall victim to mortals again. An evil witch follows the Wiccan Rede: ' _Do what ye will, even it harm all._ ' A good witch or warlock has but one goal: to vanquish evil witches, save innocents and tilt the balance of the grand design in their favor. " Phoebe explains.

"And what about us? What are we supposed to do?" Prue asks.

"Evil witches or warlocks have a choice. They can kill good witches and obtain their powers to use as their own or just vanquish good witches in order to have evil gain the upper hand in the grand design."

"What do we get in return? Sounds like too much work to not get rewarded." Prue complains.

"In the carvings, the first one showed that we were in slumber but in the second one, we were battling some kind of warlock. I think as long as we were in the dark about our powers, we were safe, not anymore…" Phoebe explains, "If we eliminate the threats that come our way, we can use our magic to do anything we want. As long as we don't expose ourselves to the world as witches, we will be okay."

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

Piper sits in the passenger seat of her Grand Jeep Cherokee with Jeremy driving. Piper scrolls through her twitter feed, laughing aloud.

"What's so funny? I want to know." Jeremy asks.

"Someone made a joke about the president, referencing Orange is the New Black." Piper laughs.

"What's the joke?" Jeremy asks.

"Ahh, never mind. You won't get it." Piper shrugs as she looks at Jeremy. She ponders for a moment and then musters the courage to initiate the conversation.

"Has anything weird or unexplainable ever happen to you?"

"Yeah. Some call it luck, or fate…even go as far to call it miracles. Why?" Jeremy asks.

"Never mind. You wouldn't believe me even if I told you." Piper says as she looks around, "Wait, you missed the street to your place."

"I know…" Jeremy says, "We just reminded me of something. I want to show you the old Bowing Building. The view of the Bay Bridge is amazing…"

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

"I'll be right back with your prescription…" the pharmacist says to Phoebe.

"Please do. I don't have all day." Phoebe responds with a rude tone.

"Hey, where's the aspirin?" Prue asks.

"Aisle three." The receptionist responds.

"I've heard a little bit of tequila is good for headaches and hangovers…" Phoebe smiles, "You know, a little hair of the dog."

"Not for this one it won't." Prue grumbles as she wanders up the aisle with Phoebe right by her side.

"You know I'm not afraid of our powers. I mean, everyone inherits something from their family, right?"

"Yeah, money, properties, antiques. That's what normal people inherit."

"Who wants to be normal when we can be special?" Phoebe says happily.

"I want to be normal. I want my life to be….aren't we in aisle 3?"

"Well, we can't change what happened. We can't undo our destiny." Phoebe says trying to soothe her sister's mind.

"Do you see any aspirin?" Prue asks, looking around with her frustration emerging.

"I see a bottle of Jack Daniels right here though…" Phoebe jokes.

"Look!" Prue stops and faces her sister, "I have just found out that I'm a witch, that my sisters are witches, and that we have powers that will apparently unleash all forms of good. Good that is apparently going to come looking for us. So excuse me Phoebe, but I'm not exactly in a dipsomaniac mood right now.

"Then move your headache out of your mind." Phoebe says as she folds her arms.

Prue stares angrily at Phoebe and immediately a bottle of aspirin flies off the shelf and Prue catches it.

"You move things when you're upset." Phoebe says as her smile grows.

"See? This is the kind of things that makes me want to ring your neck." Prue says as she rolls her eyes.

"You don't believe me." Phoebe scoffs.

"Of course I don't believe you."

"Ro-ger." Phoebe says in a sing song voice.

A few more bottles of aspirin fly off the shelf. Prue looks around nervously.

"Now let's talk about Dad and see what happens.

"I don't care about him, Phoebe. He's dead." Prue says.

"No, he's moved from New York, but he's very much alive."

"He isn't to me." Prue says, "He died the day he left mom."

"What are you talking about? Mom kicked him out and you know this." Phoebe begins to explain, "He's always been a major button pusher for you. You're mad he's alive, you're mad I took his side even though we know the reason why he was gone, you're mad I tried to find him and you're mad I came back. Dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad."

A wave of energy sweeps the entire pharmacy and knocks all the shelves over, causing them to topple on top of each other.

Phoebe and Prue look around and then at each other in shock.

"Feel better?" Phoebe asks.

"Lots."

"The Grimoire did say out powers will grow."

"Grow to what?" Prue asks as the sisters laugh. This moment, surrounded by disaster was the first bonding moment the two have shared in a long while and Prue finally understood that this may not be something she asked for but it may be something she needed to make her life a little bit easier.

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Jeremy opens the door to the old Bowing Building and stands to the side, trying to lead Piper in. The room was dingy, cold and dark filled with cobwebs and puddles of water.

"Here we are…" Jeremy says with a smile.

"I know I might be dark and twisted but I'm not going in there." Piper says looking around anxiously.

"But the view…"

"I don't really care about the view and this place isn't really helping me either." Piper says as she folds her arms in defiance.

"Come on, come on." Jeremy pleads, "I have a surprise inside."

Jeremy grabs Piper's hand and leads her into the elevator. Jeremy presses the button and the elevator starts to go up. "You're going to love this. I bet you will tell Prue and Phoebe the moment you see them."

"I never mentioned Phoebe came home." Piper says, catching Jeremy's words.

"Oh well…" Jeremy sighs as he pulls out a knife.

"What's that?" Piper asks.

"Your surprise." Jeremy answers with a smile.

"Is this some S&M stuff because this is not the right setting but I can work with what is given…" Piper says as she leans closer to him to plant a kiss but Jeremy pushes her against the wall and presses the knife to her neck.

"Ok, Jeremy, stop it. You're scaring me. Damn it, I'm serious!" Piper screams.

"SO AM I!" Jeremy bellows, "See, I've waited six months for this. Ever since Grams went to the hospital. I've known for quite some time that the moment the wicked witch of San Francisco croaked, that all your powers would be released. Powers that will reveal themselves as soon as you three got back together. All that was needed was for Phoebe to return."

"It was you, wasn't it?" Piper asks, "You killed all those women?"

"Not women. Evil witches and warlocks."

"Why?" Piper asks as her voice breaks.

"It's the right thing to do. To eradicate the evil from this world and transfer the balance of power from evil to good." Jeremy explains, "And imagine how much damage will hit the grand design if the Charmed Ones were vanquished!"

Jeremy begins to laugh as he lunges forward, motioning to stab Piper. Piper closes her eyes and the freezing sound effect can be heard. Piper opens her eyes and sees Jeremy standing still before her, the knife a few inches away from her chest.

"Okay, think…" Piper says, trying to talk herself into remaining calm, "I've got to get out of here. Okay."

Piper looks around and climbs herself out of the elevator. She pulls herself up onto the next floor and Jeremy unfreezes, reaching out and grabs her leg. He tries to pull her back into the elevator but Piper grabs a wooden two-by-four and swings it in his direction, connecting it with his head and sends him flying into the wall, rendering him unconscious. Piper jumps down and runs towards the exit and opens the door, fleeing into the night.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

Phoebe stands in the foyer of the Halliwell Manor, watching Prue's phone buzzing. Roger's name lights up Prue's phone until Phoebe presses the end button, ending the call.

Prue walks into the foyer holding a black cat, "Piper's not home unless she turned into a cat."

"How did the cat get in?" Phoebe asks.

"I don't know. Someone must have left the window open. Did Piper call you?" Prue asks.

"No she didn't…but Roger keeps calling you."

"Yeah, he's been calling me all day." Prue says, "He got fired for something I did…"

"Did he?" Phoebe says with a smile.

"Mhm." Prue answers, "It's a long story."

The front door opens and Piper runs into the house, closing it and locking the door behind her.

"Prue?!" she calls with worry in her voice.

"In here!" Phoebe says until she sees the fear on Piper's face, "Piper?"

"Oh my God, what is it? What's wrong?" Prue asks.

"Lock the doors, check the windows. We don't have a lot of time." Piper says out of breath as she turns to Phoebe, "In the Grimoire, did it say how to get rid of a…"

"Warlock?" Phoebe completes her sentence.

"Oh my God…" Prue whispers.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

A bright golden light can be seen in the distance, almost blinding to the human eye. As the light subsides, Jeremy blinks rapidly as his blurred vision becomes clear and the man standing over him comes into focus. The man's palm hovers over his face as the golden light disappears and Jeremy groans as he sits up.

"Where am I?" he asks.

"You let the witch get away from you." The man answers, "They sent me here to heal you and make sure you're okay."

"She caught me off guard is all…" Jeremy says as he stands up.

"This time is the perfect time to strike. They are new to the craft and unaware of how their powers work. Eliminate them before it's too late." The man says.

Jeremy nods and jumps out of the elevator. He runs out with the knife in hand, vowing to accomplish this mission at hand.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

"I'm calling the cops." Prue says as she nervously looks out of the window and walks back into the living room.

"And tell them what? That we're witches? That some freak with powers beyond comprehension is trying to kill us? You know what they'll do to us if they found out we were witches. Besides you know the only time cops make a house call is if you're paying them." Piper explains.

"Besides, he'll kill the cops if they showed up." Phoebe says.

"He's a good warlock. I doubt they'll spill unnecessary blood." Piper says.

"It's not safe here. He knows we live here so I think it's not a good idea to be here." Prue says as she marches towards the door.

"Where can we go? We can't hide forever, Prue." Phoebe says.

"We can figure out what to do away from here." Prue says as she opens the door. She turns to her sisters and gestures to them to follow her, unaware Jeremy stood behind her looking angry.

Piper and Phoebe jump and scream at the sight of Jeremy standing there with his athame.

"Hello, ladies." Jeremy says pleasantly. Prue backs away slowly and at the same time shielding her younger sisters with her arms, as they stand behind her.

Prue squints her eyes and Jeremy stumbles backwards, "Piper, Phoebe, get out of here now!"

Without hesitation, Piper and Phoebe run up the stairs towards the attic.

"Cool parlor trick, bitch. You were always the tough one, weren't you, Prue?" Jeremy taunts.

"And here I thought all this time you were such a gentleman." Prue snickers, "What a shame."

Prue squints once more and Jeremy slides into the wall, leaving a crack where he landed. Prue turns around and runs up the stairs. She walks into the attic and slams the door shut, "Phoebe, you're right. Our powers are growing."

"Put as many things against the door as you can." Piper suggests as they push a dresser against the door and place a chair on top of it.

"Take me now, Prue!" Jeremy's distorted voice can be heard on the other side of the door as he cackles, "My powers are stronger than yours."

He laughs even louder, "Do you think a chair will stop me?"

The chair slowly slides off the dresser and falls to the side.

"Do you think a dresser will stop me?" he says as the dresser slides away from the door.

"Have you witches not figured it out yet? Nothing, nothing can keep us away!" he laughs as the door begins to rattle and shake.

"What do we do? We're trapped!" Piper asks.

The door explodes and there stands Jeremy. Prue, Piper and Phoebe scream as their fear grows with every passing second.

"Wait a minute. We can face him together. The spirit board…remember?" Prue says.

"The inscription on the back?" Piper says.

"The Power of Three will set us free…" The Charmed Ones begin to chant as they hold hands. Jeremy conjures a potion and tosses it at their feet, as a ring of fire surrounds the sisters. He conjures another potion and tosses at the Charmed ones and the flames disappear, changing into a gust of wind and a growing tornado.

"The Power of Three will set us free!" the sisters continue to chant over and over as Jeremy conjures fire at his finger tips and shoots them towards the witches to no avail.

"I am not the only one! I am one of millions!" Jeremy yells, his voice rising above the witches' chants, "In places you can't imagine! In forms you wouldn't believe!"

"The Power of Three will set us free…"

"WE ARE HEAVEN ON EARTH!"

"The Power of Three will set us free!"

"GOOD WITCHES AND WARLOCKS WHO HAVE MADE IT THEIR MISSION TO BRING THE END TO THOSE WHO THREATEN THE GRAND DESIGN…."

"The Power of Three will set us free…"

"THOSE WHO BELIEVE GOOD WILL ALWAYS PREVAIL, AND BRING THE GRAND DESIGN TO ITS' RIGHTFUL BALANCE OF POWER!"

"The Power of Three will set us free…"

"YOU WILL NEVER BE SAFE!"

"The Power of Three will set us free…"

"AAND YOU'LL NEVER BE FREEEEE!" Jeremy screams as fire grows from his feet and consumes him. He screams in pain until he explodes from sight. The gust of wind surrounding the Halliwell sisters disappear.

"The Power of Three…" Prue says calmly, breathing a sigh of relief.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

Prue sits outside watching the normal activities of the day commencing. The neighbors arguing over petty issues, the neighbor across the street unleashing his Rottweiler onto the little boy who runs away in fear and the paper boy throwing the newspaper in the shrubs, instead of bringing the newspaper to the front door. Prue hated digging for the paper in the shrubs but she refused to show signs of displeasure, instead smiling and waving at the paperboy. She walks up to the shrubbery and takes her newspaper when a car pulls up in front of the Manor.

"Good morning!" Andy says as he walks around his car and walks closer to Prue.

"Good morning? What's so good about it?"

"I get to see your face again." Andy says but Prue rolls her eyes, "Too cheesy?"

"Yeah, just a little bit." Prue says, "I preferred the Khaleesi remark better."

"Duly noted…" Andy says, "I just wanted to ask you out to dinner but you're making it extremely difficult to do so."

"When have you ever known me to make things easier?" Prue smiles.

"Touché…" Andy says with a chuckle, "So what do you say? Unless you're afraid."

"Afraid of what?"

"Oh you know, having too terrible of a time, stirring up old memories, rekindling the old flame?"

"Better not…" Prue says as she turns around and walks away.

"Okay. Friday night, eight o'clock?"

Prue doesn't answer.

"Ok, I guess I'll try again later." Andy says, sounding disheartened.

"It's not what you think, Andy." Prue says, "It's just that my life has gotten a bit complicated. Give me some time. Can I call you?"

Andy's face lights up as he runs up the stairs and gives Prue his card.

"Don't disappoint me, Prue."

"Goodbye, Andy…" Prue smiles as Andy walks towards his car.

"Oh and Andy!" Prue calls as Andy turns around.

"Khaleesi is not a slayer of dragons. She's the Mother of Dragons. Just so you know..." she says with a smile.

Andy blushes as he sits in his car.

Phoebe and Piper walk out of the house, with Phoebe holding the black cat.

"That was Andy." Phoebe says as she walks closer with Piper, "I told you I heard a man's voice."

"What did he want?" Piper asks.

"He asked me out." Prue answers.

"And you said…?" Piper asks.

"I wanted to say yes but then I stopped." Prue admits, "I wondered if I could date. I mean, do witches date?"

"Not only do they date, but they usually get the best guys." Piper says with a smile.

"If anything, we can cast spells and put them under our control if we want. That will be fun." Phoebe laughs.

"You two will not be laughing when this happens to you." Prue says, "Believe me, everything will be different now."

"Well, at least our lives won't be boring." Phoebe says with optimism.

"But they'll never be the same." Prue adds.

"And this is a bad thing?" Phoebe asks.

"No, but it could be a big problem." Prue says.

"Prue's right." Piper chimes in, "What are we going to do?"

"What can't we do?" Phoebe asks with glee.

"We're going to be reckless but careful, take no crap from no one, tolerate no nonsense and we're going to stick together." Prue says, "That's the only way we can manage this thing in our lives."

"This should be interesting…" Piper says as she walks up into the house, with Phoebe and Prue following suit. Prue stands by the door and with a menacing look lingering in her blue eyes, she squints at the door, as the door swings shut.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

A man stands before the white hooded cloaked men with his head hanging low.

"He failed…" the man says in a deep low voice, "the first victim has fallen."

"The Charmed Ones are out there." One of the leaders says, "That much we know is true, the question is, where are they?"

"Jeremy believed the witches he was scouting were the Charmed Ones, and those witches vanquished him last night." The man says.

"Jeremy also vanquished three witches within the last week and his efforts are appreciated but he didn't reveal to us who the Charmed Ones were." The leader says, "Do you believe that he was right? That the witches who vanquished him are the Charmed Ones?"

"They fit the profile…" the man says, "Three sisters living together but their magic hasn't been tested to know if they are really the Charmed Ones. We are assessing the witches at the moment and we have already sent the shapeshifters and Javnah after them to see what they can figure out."

"We have already sent a few of our agents to blend in and learn more about the witches as well." The leader says, "We need to move fast. We cannot bide our time and allow the witches to get a handle on their powers. If they do, it will be too late and it will spell the end of our cause."

"Yes, my liege lords." The man says as he bows.

"Blessed be…" the leader says calmly.

"Blessed be." The man says as he bows and disappears in a blinding flashing light.

FADE TO BLACK

END OF EPISODE.


	3. 1x02: Mighty Morphing Power of Three (1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the Charmed Ones figure out what being an evil witch means, they have no idea a new enemy is upon them watching them without being aware.

The city of San Francisco grows restless at night as the cars on the Bay Bridge race each other, trying make it home in time for their favorite TV show or sports game, make it home in time for supper or make it home in time to see their little ones before they fall asleep. The honking and screeching of tires is normal in the city such as this but the city noise is disturbed by the shrieking of a man in pain accompanied by chanting.

" _Evil eyes look unto thee  
May they soon extinguished be  
Bend thy will to the Power of Three  
Eye of earth; Evil and Accursed."_

The Charmed Ones stand before Javnah, Prue leading the charge with Piper and Phoebe flanked on both sides. Prue's palm emits a glow and shoots a dark energy from her fingertips. Screaming, Javnah falls backward onto the glowing platform as his body shrivels up and turns into a skeleton. His skeleton turns into dust and the magic winds blow them away. Prue's palm returns to normal as she lowers her arm.

"Cool." Phoebe whispers with excitement.

"Yeah, it wasn't cool when he almost turned you into a grandma, was it?" Piper scolds.

"I can take care of myself, thank you very much." Phoebe rolls her eyes.

"Yeah, we'll do well to remember that next time another demon has you in their clutches." Prue says as she turns around to walk away.

"Your lives would be boring without me and you know it." Phoebe says as follows Prue and Piper joins them.

"Yeah, you wish." Piper scoffs, "The power of premonition and you didn't even see this coming."

"I saw it…" Phoebe tries to defend herself, "It just was too late to do anything about it."

"Sure." Prue says as she walks out of the ware house with her sisters following her. A black and white crow perched on the light post squawks loudly but the sisters didn't even notice.

"Can you take my van back to the restaurant please? No detours, straight back to Quake." Piper instructs, knowing how easily distracted Phoebe can be.

"I got it, Piper." Phoebe says, clearly getting tired of Piper's quips, "You don't have to treat me like a child."

Prue sits in her black convertible and starts it up. Piper joins her by sitting in the passenger seat of the car Prue looks out of the window at her sister and without an ounce of empathy in her voice and face, she says "Don't act like one and maybe, we might treat you like you're a grown woman."

"How am I supposed to get home after I drop off the van?" Phoebe asks.

"Grown woman task number 1: Figure it out." Piper says as she snickers and Phoebe shoots her an angry glance.

"I'll see you at home." Prue says as she peels off into the night.

Phoebe watches her drive off and frowns. She walks to the restaurant van, sits in and drives off towards the main street. The crow yelps once more and then takes flight, sailing towards the full moon hovering in the night's sky.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

A man stand across the street of the Halliwell Manor, donning a fedora and a long black coat. He gazes aimlessly at the house as a car pulls up right in front of him.

"Hey, man!" the guy says as he rolls down his window, "Did you call for an uber?"

The man without saying a word adjusts his hat and the moonlight shines upon his ring, a golden ring with two green stone settings. He opens the door to the backseat and sits down. He slams the door shut and the car drives away into the night.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

The sun rises quickly as it hovers over the water, casting the bright golden lights across the ocean. The Halliwell Manor basks in the glow of the rising sun, looking like modern art to the trained eye, but no one knows what type of evil lives within those walls.

Piper sits at the table in the kitchen drinking her coffee and reading the newspaper as Prue walks into the kitchen. Wearing a suit, she runs towards the coffee pot and pours herself a cup but there's barely enough.

"You couldn't make enough for the both of us?" Prue asks as she looks at her cup sadly.

"You usually wake up later than I do and go to work later in the day so I didn't think to make enough for two." Piper says with a smile.

"Well, thank you for being a team player." Prue says as she opens the fridge to take out the cream.

"That coffee should be enough to last you until noon so you're welcome." Piper laughs.

"If I make it till noon." Prue says as she stirs her cup of coffee and takes a sip, "Is this diesel?"

"Sure." Piper answers, "Wait, why are you up so early on a workday?"

"Ever since the Buckland takeover, we're being forced to come to work on time and actually do our job." Prue groans as she slides into her seat, "It's so infuriating."

"Why is it infuriating to do what you're getting paid to do?" Piper asks.

"Because I miss going to work on my own time, taking my lunch breaks for as long as I want; not to mention the auction items I was able to pawn off for cash on the side." Prue says.

"So basically the gravy train has stopped for you." Piper says.

"Basically." Prue whines, "Trade lives with me, Piper!"

"Nope. I like where I am right now."

"Why? How's work?" Prue asks.

"Chef Moore quit last week and now I'm in charge so I get to go to work whenever I please, I have all these busboys and chefs under my command and I basically do whatever I want." Piper brags.

"And when the gravy train stops for one sister, it begins for another." Prue says.

"Basically."

"I hate you." Prue grunts.

"You adore me." Piper laughs as she takes another sip.

"Good morning, sister witches!" Phoebe says as she marches into the kitchen with a browned bag and a cup of coffee.

"Where did you come from ?" Prue asks.

"Starbucks. There's nothing like Starbucks to get your day started." Phoebe smiles as she sits on the counter and opens her brown bag.

"You went to Starbucks and couldn't bring me a cup of joe?" Prue asks.

"We have to learn to be our own woman, remember? This is me being a grown woman." Phoebe says as she takes a sip of her coffee and smiles, "Being grown tastes real good"

"I hate you both!" Prue says as she grabs her cup and storms out of the kitchen.

"We love you too!" Phoebe and Piper yell after her.

"So when did you have time to come home and go to Starbucks all before 9am?" Piper asks.

"I just got home…" Phoebe says with a sinister smile.

"You slut." Piper says proudly as she stands up.

"Where are you going?" Phoebe asks.

"I have to show my face for at least an hour or else I'll lose my job." Piper says as she walks out of the kitchen.

"And then there was one." Phoebe sighs as she hops off the counter and drags herself out of the kitchen. A crow sitting on the window ledge watches as Phoebe walks out of the kitchen.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

In the Manor across the street, a young woman, sporting dark red wavy curls paces back and forth while another man with a dark brown hair sits in a seat calmly, watching the woman pacing.

"If you're aiming to hypnotize me Cynda, you're doing a great job." The man says.

"How long do we have to wait here, Marshall? Fritz has been gone for the last 24 hours and…"

"Gone to perform surveillance, my sweet sister and with that, he will bring us all the information we need to know about the sisters." Marshall says trying to appease his sister.

A crow flies through the open window and lands on the couch.

"Speaking of the devil…" Marshall says, breathing a sigh of relief.

The crow on the couch glows and morphs into another man with a dirty blondish afro, bearing a smile.

"Well, what did you find out?" Cynda asks.

"The eldest and middle sisters are both at work. Will be for a long time." Fritz says.

"And what about the youngest?" Marshall asks.

"She's home but she's very active." Fritz explains, "She won't be home for long. She'll feel the need to get out of the house."

"Good." Marshall says, "When she does, you will follow her and keep an eye on her. I'll keep my eye on the middle sister and you Cynda? You will try to go for the Grimoire."

Cynda smiles happily as she jumps up and down.

"Thank you, thank you!" Cynda squeals.

"You're welcome." Marshall bows in response, "Now, remember that failure is not an option so let's do well to execute this plan perfectly. We distract the sisters long enough to keep them out of the house while you try to get the Grimoire."

"Why do we have to look after Piper and Phoebe instead of Prue?" Fritz asks.

"Phoebe is most likely to return the house unannounced. That way we can be certain of how much time we do have. Prue works at the auction house and is furthest from the Manor compared to Piper." Marshall explains.

Fritz stands up and morphs his appearance to resemble a business man. Wearing a suit with glasses, he runs his fingers through his hair and smiles.

"How do I look?"

"This is not the time for that." Marshall says as he morphs into a young woman with long blonde hair and a slender figure.

"A woman, Marshall?" Fritz says as he laughs, "Really?"

"I'm undercover and this is the perfect look." Marshall says in a female voice, "Or no?"

"We're shapeshifters. You could've chosen any face to morph into but to each his own." Fritz says.

"Any sign of trouble, Fritz and you send the signal." Marshall says, "Got it?"

"Got it!"

"Let's go take care of business." Marshall says with determination in his eyes and smile.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

The Buckland's Auction house looks as busy as ever, with people moving around with a purpose through the halls. Prue, however sat in her dark office, blinds shut, feet up with a spoonful of Ben & Jerry's in her mouth, laughing at the video she watched on her laptop.

*Chime* "Ms. Halliwell, Rex would like to see you in his office."

"Oh crap!" Prue says as she jumps up and nearly falls off her chair. She turns on the lamps in her office and pauses the video on her laptop. She straightens her suit and fixes her short hair and then presses a button on her phone, "Tell him I'm on my way."

Prue grabs her purse and fishes for a mirror and lip gloss as she adds a few finishing touches to her face. She walks to her door and grabs the handle. She rubs her lips together, flips her hair and opens the door, walking out into the hallway casually as if she wasn't freaking out a few seconds before.

Moments later, she arrives at a big door with a sign which reads "REX BUCKLAND". Prue takes a deep breath and knocks on the door, loud enough to be heard but soft enough to not seem rude.

"Come in." a male voice with a heavy British accent can be heard saying.

Prue turns the knob and steps inside.

"Ah Ms. Halliwell!" Rex says as Prue shuts the door behind her, "Come, come! Have a seat!"

Prue walks to the seat awkwardly and sits down. Rex sat in front of a large window overlooking the city, which attracted a lot of sunlight in his office. She brushes her hair from her eyes as the light from the large window behind Rex accentuated the color of her blue eyes.

"Do you know why I have summoned you here?" Rex asks.

"Summon?" Prue asks.

"Yeah, it means to call for, invite..." Rex explains, much to his displeasure.

"Ah no. I don't know why you summoned me, Rex." Prue says.

"I brought you here to discuss your work performance in this company, Ms. Halliwell and I'm not sure if I like what I see." Rex says.

Prue rarely got nervous but her heart began to pound harder and harder against her chest whenever Rex was near. There was something about him that made her feel intimidated by him but Prue's gift was to never let it show.

"Uh, what do you mean by that?" Prue asks as she jerks her head to remove the single strand of hair dangling over her eyes.

"You've been working here for over a year now and you started out strong for the first few months. A lot of our highest and expensive items to be auctioned were secured and sold by you. The business accounts you secured were high profile and I am very impressed." Rex says with a smile.

Blushing, Prue tucks the hair behind her eyes and says, "Thank you. I try."

"Don't thank me yet." Rex says as his smile wanes, "Along with you as the highest sales person in this place was Roger Davidson but he started to get too comfortable in his job and started doing things he shouldn't have, things I'm pretty sure you're aware of. Your profile shows you getting too comfortable with your job and it started about six months ago."

"Rex, I…"

"I'm not done yet." Rex says, cutting her off, "The last client you had was four months ago, your portfolio has plummeted and I can't even see the last time you secured a client worth more than $10, 000. I am really trying to keep you here but you're not giving me a reason to. Now, I know you had a death in the family six months ago and maybe that affected your job but we need you back now, Ms. Halliwell. This is your second chance. Please don't let me down again."

Prue nods with gratitude as she stands up, "I won't.

She turns around and heads towards at the door and freezes in her tracks. She turns back and looks at her boss, "Just so you know, Rex, you're right. I haven't been doing as much as you know I can because I carry most of the load here and I don't really mind but I also want the recognition I deserve. If you want to fire me, go ahead and do so but you'd be losing a major asset to this company. My area of expertise ranges from Ming Dynasty to a signed Prince Purple Rain guitar. You name it, I can identify it. Now, I may not act like I do not want this job but best believe that I do. And one thing you should know is I am definitely right for it."

"You've got 72 hours to secure an account worth at least $50,000 or else, you'll see the same fate as Roger Davidson's" A smile spreads across Rex's face as Prue's scowl grows, "That will be all."

Prue rolls her eyes as she opens the door to step out.

"Oh, and Ms. Halliwell?" Rex says and Prue looks back, "It's Mr. Buckland to you. We like to maintain a little professional decorum in the workplace."

Prue takes a deep breath as she closes the door.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

Piper sits at the bar at Quake with a glass in her hand, watching her waiters running back and forth from the kitchen. Shrugging without a care in the world, she pulls out her phone and begins to scroll through her social media as a waiter comes to her.

"Uh, Piper?"

"What's up?" Piper asks without taking her eyes off her phone.

"It's the lunch rush and we need you back there." The waiter says.

"Need me back where? I'm the manager…"

"Who is also the chef, you know? The job you were hired to do?" the waiter says.

"Place the orders back there and I'll get to them when I can."

"What about right now?" the waiter asks and Piper shoots him a dirty look.

"I said…" Piper says, emphasizing her words, " _I'll get to them when I can._ "

Whimpering, the waiter backs away and runs into the crowd.

"Hmmm." Piper sighs happily as she takes a sip of her drink. Phoebe emerges from the crowd and takes a seat at the bar.

"You look like you're living the life." Phoebe says looking around.

"I couldn't have asked for anything better." Piper says with a smile.

"How do you guys get any business around here?" Phoebe asks.

"That's a secret." Piper answers, "What are you doing here?"

"I got bored at home." Phoebe says, "I needed some fresh air. Being in the house 24/7 is too much pressure than I can handle, you know?"

"Sure…." Piper says in a non chalant manner, "I can't relate but sure."

"Piper!" another one of the waiters shouts from across the room! "There's a list of orders waiting for you."

"Alright, already!" Piper groans as she stands up, "Jesus!"

She looks at her sister and whispers, "I'll be right back."

Piper storms off and walks into the kitchen. The busboys and waiters roam aimlessly, waiting for their orders to be ready. Piper looks at the pile of orders stacked on the counter and sighs.

"You guys complain too much, you know that? Give me a minute alone in the kitchen while I take care of the meals." Piper says as she puts on an apron.

"But…" One of the waiters begins to protest but Piper shuts them down.

"Out!"

The staff begin to grumble as they march out of the kitchen and into the back of the restaurant. Piper shakes her head as opens the door to the back alley, waves her hand and freezes the entire staff. She takes out a piece of paper and she begins to read off it:

" _Appease their mind and satisfy their mood  
Conjure up the orders and create the food."_

An orange and black glow sweeps across the kitchen as an entire table and trays of food magically appears, lined up in a row with their orders pinned beside them. Piper smiles as the entire staff unfreezes and she waves at them to come back in. As they march back into the kitchen, they look around, amazed and speechless at the abundance and quality of food before them.

"There you go!" Piper says as she takes off her apron and walks out of the kitchen.

"How do you think she does that?" One of the waiters asks a waitress to which the waitress shrugs in response.

"What happened back there?" Phoebe asks as Piper takes her seat and resumes scrolling through her phone.

"I cooked their food." Piper says with a smile, "Magically."

"Piper…" Phoebe says in a disapproving tone.

"What?"

"You know we're not supposed to use our powers in public." Phoebe says.

"I know. They were frozen when I cast the spell. They didn't see a thing." Piper says, "Besides, the Grimoire says we can use our powers any way we want as long as we don't kill mortals and expose ourselves so we're good. The customers are happy and I'm happy so we're good."

Phoebe looks around, watching the waiters and waitresses bringing out the food as the customers smile happily.

"If you say so." Phoebe mumbles to herself.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

Sitting in her office with the blinds open, Prue types on her laptop as she researches a couple of items lying on her desk. She grabs a book and begins to flip through the pages when her phone rings.

"Prue Halliwell's office."

"Wow, look at you sounding all professional on the phone."

"Andy?"

"I like hearing the polite side of you." Andy laughs on the phone.

"Well the polite side of me collects a paycheck from 9-5 so don't get used to her." Prue says, "How did you get my number?"

"Aren't you getting tired of asking me questions you should already know the answers to, Khaleesi?" Andy asks and Prue smiles.

"Right…detective."

"Yeah, I was just calling because it has been two weeks since I gave you my number and I have yet to receive a phone call so I thought it would be best to try my luck again." Andy says, "So what do you say to a dinner tomorrow night, say 8pm?

"Uh…" Prue says as she hears a knock on her door.

"Come in!" she shouts as the guest walks in. The man takes a seat in front of her, waiting patiently as Prue continues her phone call, "I'll think about it, Andy."

"Come on, Prue. I'm trying here. Nothing major, just a dinner with old friends catching up." Andy says.

"Fine, 8:00 it is." Prue concedes, "I've got to go, Andy."

"I'll come by to pick you up by 7:30."

"Sounds good." Prue says, trying to get off the phone, "See you later."

Prue places the phone on the receiver and stares at her guest sitting across the desk.

"How may I help you?" Prue asks.

"I was told that you might be able to help me." The man says as he pulls his ring off his finger. "I'll like to have this…" he pauses for a brief moment as he places it on the desk, "…appraised."

"Well, you'd be better off going to the appraiser." Prue says.

"I've been there. He said he'll need a week." The man says, trying his hardest to hide his smile, "And I just wouldn't feel right without it. It's a  _family_  heirloom."

Hesitating for a moment, Prue picks it up and begins to examine it.

"I think I've seen a ring similar to this before. The setting is quite old. At least 17th century." Prue says as she stands up and walks over to a shelf nearby and picks up a book, "The stones looks like crystallite. Keep in mind, this is just an educated guess."

"Please…" the man says as he interlocks his fingers with a smile, clearly impressed, "Guess away."

"If I'm not mistaken, it is a stone that the Egyptians believed would protect them against spells, curses, and evil spirits. This wouldn't be a wedding band by any chance, would it?"

"You tell me…"

Prue continues to examine the stone as she pulls a magnifying glass out and begins to take a closer look, "The stones are set in two's. The symbol of duality. Man, woman. Like in protection.

"And what does all of that tell you?"

"Where did you get this ring?" Prue says as she looks up at the man, "What did you say your name was?"

"I think you know what my name is…Prudence."

"Get out…" Prue says as she stands up and throws the ring on the table, "And stay away from us."

The man grabs the ring and puts it back on, "I'm staying at the Beaumark. What do you say you and your sisters join me for dinner? Let's say tomorrow night? We can talk."

"After how you abandoned us?" Prue says as her anger grows, shining in her tone, "How dare you?"

"Fiery temper. I like that." Victor says with a smile, "It reminds me of someone I know."

"I am nothing like you. I would never leave my responsibilities, my family."

"I can see we have some issues to work through." Victor says.

"Oh, we've got the whole subscription." Prue says furiously, "Now get out before I have you thrown out."

"Now, is that any way to talk to your father?" Victor says calmly with a smirk as he closes his blazer in contrast to Prue's enraged demeanor. Her face was visible torn as her jaw clenched and tears welled up in her eyes with exasperation. She watches as Victor strolls out of the office and closes the door gently behind him. She exhales sharply as she sits down and runs her fingers through her hair.

TO BE CONTINUED


	4. 1x02: Mighty Morphing Power of Three (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Charmed Ones are conflicted when someone from the past comes back into their lives and they begin to question everything...

**1x02: Mighty Morphing Power of Three (Part 2)**

"I wonder why he went to you first." Piper says as she takes a sip of her coffee. The three sisters sat underneath an umbrella outside of a café, "Why not Phoebe or me?"

"Piper, it's not like I won the lottery." Prue sighs heavily.

"What was he like? Did he ask about us?" Phoebe asks, abandoning the carefree exterior she usually wears.

"Actually, no." Prue says as she sees a disappointed look grow on Phoebe's face, "Phoebe, think about it. He abandoned us for whatever reason, he was a no show for over twenty years and then what, suddenly here he is? Why now?"

"Maybe he wants just wants to be a part of our lives." Piper mutters as Prue shoots her an angry stare.

"After all this time? I thought you were smarter than that, Piper." Prue says in disbelief.

"Well, there's only one way to find out. Why wait till tomorrow? Let's go see him now. I have a lot of questions to ask him." Phoebe suggests.

"Will you be rational? Don't you find it just a little suspicious that just when we find out we're witches, he shows up? But when mom and Grams dies, he's nowhere to be found."

"Look, Grams always says he was a mooch, he always wanted to benefit from our misfortunes and our gains. Maybe this is what she meant by that."

"Mooch off of us? What do we have for him to benefit us from?" Piper asks.

"I don't know, something about us being witches?" Prue says.

"How would he know about us being witches when we just found out ourselves two weeks ago?" Phoebe asks.

"Listen, it's not that I don't see your point but you knew him, we didn't. Why can't we have a chance to know now?" Piper says.

"That's exactly why you should listen to me. I knew and saw firsthand how heartbroken mom was when he left." Prue says, "We should be careful with him, unless we know why he's here, we shouldn't trust him."

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

Walking down the corridor at the Beaumark Hotel, Phoebe arrives at a door and raises her fist to knock on the door. She hesitates slightly as her heart races in within her chest. She swallows her fears and summoning her courage, she gently taps on the door, loud enough to be heard but soft enough to not sound menacing.

"Entrée." A man's voice can be heard answering behind the closed door.

Phoebe takes a deep breath and walks into the hotel room. She walks through a hallway and then into a room. She sees her father lying on a table, getting a massage.

"Victor?" Phoebe whispers gently.

Victor snaps his neck and smiles when he sees the young woman standing before him.

"Well, well. What a nice surprise." He says as he sits up.

Phoebe's nervous expression heightens as she begins to fan herself nervously, "I didn't mean to just show up unannounced but I really couldn't wait."

"It's okay." Victor says as he snaps his fingers at his masseuse and she brings him a robe to cover himself, "Welcome. Let me get a good look at you. This is my baby girl. Little…Piper?"

Phoebe closes her eyes in disappointment as she opens them up, looking slightly enraged.

"Phoebe…" Victor corrects himself.

"Yeah…" Phoebe says as she folds her arms.

"Let me make it up to you…" Victor says, "You want some room service?"

"No thanks, Victor."

"Victor…" Victor laughs, "Why don't you call me dad?"

"Because you haven't done anything to deserve that title so far." Phoebe answers.

"Phoebe…" Victor begins to say but Phoebe cuts him off.

"Six months…" Phoebe whispers.

"What was that?" Victor asks.

"Six months. I looked for you in New York for six months, I even found out you were living at the St. Regis Hotel."

"You did?" Victor asks.

"You even came to the Rainbow room with your colleagues once." Phoebe begins to narrate, "I was working late that day and you were my last client. I recognized you at first glance. I never laid eyes on you before, only know your face from pictures but I recognized you. Only difference was you had gray hair now than the pictures we had…"

Victor sighs as he looks down at his feet.

"You looked at me dead in the eyes and didn't even know who I was." Phoebe says with tears in her eyes, "I know pain. I have felt pain and I usually don't let anything get to me but that by far, was the worst feeling I have ever had."

"Phoebe, I don't know what to tell you." Victor says, "And there is nothing I can do to ease that pain, Phoebe…"

"It's okay." Phoebe says as she nods angrily, "I just needed to get that off my chest."

Victor walks closer to Phoebe and sighs heavily, "Please let me make it up to you…"

"You need about 23 years to do that…" Phoebe says.

"Phoebe…" Victor says as he places his hand on Phoebe's arm in an effort to comfort her but Phoebe jumps as she is pulled into a premonition.

_Victor walks away and turns around to face Phoebe. In his hands, he holds the Grimoire as his smile grows._

Phoebe comes out of the premonition and slowly backs away from Victor.

"Are you okay, Phoebe?" Victor asks in a genuinely concerned voice.

"I've got to go." Phoebe says as she turns around and walks away, "I'll see you at dinner."

Victor motions to grab Phoebe but he pauses as the door to the suite slams shut. Victor sighs and turns around to face the open window as he allows his mind to drift away in deep thought.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

Outside of the Halliwell Manor, a mailman walks up the stairs to the front door. His index finger turns into a key and uses it to unlock the door and walks inside. He rushes up the stairs until he arrives in the attic. He turns the knob and runs into the attic, towards the podium.

Staring at the Grimoire, he hesitates before abandoning all caution, grabs the book and runs out of the attic. Running with haste, the man sprints across the foyer and opens the door. As he attempts to walk out, the Grimoire emits a purple glow and flies out of his hands, refusing to cross the threshold.

Frustrated, the mailman runs back inside and grabs the book, and runs towards the exit, only to have the book fly out of his arms once more. The mailman picks up the book and steps on the porch in an effort to drag the book out but the Grimoire refuses to budge. Wrestling with the book, the mailman looks backwards to find Prue stepping out of her car and heading towards the stairs.

The mailman closes the door and tosses the Grimoire across the room, landing on the carpet in the living room. Remaining calm, the mailman transforms into a large grey pit-bull, growling as Prue's silhouette grows larger on the transparent portion of the front door. As Prue unlocks the door, the dog begins to bark, catching Prue off guard.

As the dog walks towards Prue, Prue maneuvers herself towards the living room and sees the Grimoire on the ground. Prue stares at the dog and squints her eyes, sending the dog flying towards the door. Whimpering, the dog runs out of the open door and Prue chases after it. The dog disappears from sight and a confused Prue looks around, trying to figure out which way the dog disappeared to.

She walks back into the house and closes the door. She walks up to the Grimoire and picks it up and heads up the stairs.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

Nighttime at the Manor, Phoebe sits at the table while Prue and Piper look through the drawers.

"You can't be serious." Phoebe says, "Someone really tried to steal the Grimoire?"

"Yeah with a giant pit-bull was here waiting for me when I got back…" Prue answers.

"That doesn't make any sense." Piper says.

"I think it makes perfect sense, Piper." Prue defends her train of thought, "What has been different so far in the past 12 hours?"

"Don't even go there, Prue." Phoebe says as she shakes her head, "You can't possibly think…"

"Does that seem farfetched?" Prue asks, "The same day Victor shows up into our lives after a twenty year absence, the Grimoire is found downstairs? You guys can't be this naïve."

"And you cannot be this much of a conspiracy theorist." Piper rebuts.

"Why would Victor want the Grimoire?" Phoebe asks.

"Well, for one reason, he wants its power…our power." Prue answers, "And who else knows about our powers besides each other? Victor."

"You don't know that." Piper says.

"Don't we? He was married to mom for seven years, Piper. Do you think he had three daughters and didn't once figure out that they were witches? That his wife was a witch?" Prue asks.

"Why would he want to take the book from us though?" Piper asks, "It's not like the book can grant him special powers or something…come on, Phoebe. Help me out here!"

"Okay, let's just say for the sake of argument that he's after it." Phoebe says, "Wouldn't he have taken it with him? He wouldn't have left it behind."

"Maybe he was afraid he would get caught." Prue insists, "Until we find out what's going on and whether Victor was involved or not, we've got to find another place for the book. Hide it until we know better. Either that or we can't leave the house."

"Fine, we hide the book because I'm not going to miss dinner with Victor." Piper says.

"Neither am I…" Phoebe says as she stands up and marches out of the kitchen. Piper stands as well and follows Phoebe out.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

Across the street, crashing and thrashing can be heard as a flying piece of furniture hits the wall and breaks on contact.

"Cynda?" Marshall pleads with his sister with his voice quivering, "Throwing tantrums isn't going to get us anywhere."

"I was so close! The bloody book didn't want to leave the house!"

"The Book didn't want to leave the house?" Fritz asks as he begins to laugh, "The Grimoire has its own conscience and mindset, right?"

"That's not funny, Fritz." Marshall steps in, "Whenever a neophyte witch's powers begin to grow, it can protect them and their tome as well. It only happens to a few though…the most elite and powerful of evil witches."

"So this proves that they are the Charmed Ones, right?" Fritz asks eagerly.

"It proves that they're powerful witches, but not the Charmed Ones. The council will require more proof than that." Marshall answers.

Cynda marches angrily towards the door but Marshall and Fritz stop her.

"Where do you think you're going?" Fritz asks.

"Back across the street to deal with those witches myself." Cynda says, "The Grimoire cannot protect itself if there are no witches' powers to protect them."

"Now, that may sound good in theory but it's a risk we cannot take." Marshall says, "Doing surveillance on the witches gave us some good tidbits."

"Like what?" Cynda asks curiously.

"The girls' father is back in town." Marshall reveals, "He can be our way to get the Grimoire out of the house."

"How can we convince him to help a couple of shapeshifters?" Cynda asks.

"We'll make him an offer he cannot refuse." Marshall says, "We can bend them to our will with a little bit of temptation. Mortals are just as weak and corrupt as these evil creatures, if not worse."

"So what's the plan?" Cynda says as she folds her arms, waiting for orders,

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

The next day, a grey Dodge charger pulls up in front of the Halliwell Manor and Andy Trudeau steps out, rocking his aviator shades. He takes them off and stares at the Halliwell Victorian Manor and a smile grows on his face. He looks around as he walks towards the stairs and climbs them. He reaches the front door and rings the doorbell. He looks back once more as he runs his fingers through his hair, awaiting an answer. He rings the doorbell once more and turns around to walk away. He pauses and turns back towards the door. Making a final sweep around the neighborhood, Andy waves his hand towards the door and the lock can be heard unlatching on the other end. He turns the knob and walks inside the Manor, closing the door behind him.

Moving with haste, he runs up the stairs, two steps at a time until eventually he reaches the attic with the door closed. He jiggles the handle only to find it locked. Growing frustrated, Andy kicks the door open, ripping the door off its hinges and flying across the room. He runs to the podium and groans loudly when he sees the Grimoire is not resting upon the podium like the last time.

He looks around furiously as he begins to telekinetically move furniture, opening chests and drawers and tossing its contents about in the attic.

SLAM…

A faint slamming sound can be heard in the distance as Andy pauses and races to the window of the attic. He looks down and sees Prue in the driveway, reaching for bags in her trunk. Panicking, Andy flies out of the room, racing down the stairs with his heart racing just as fast, matching his stride. He arrives at the bottom of the stairs and makes a turn towards the kitchen in an attempt to run through the back when Prue opens the door and walks in.

"Andy?" Prue says in surprise as she slams the door shut, "What are you doing here?"

"I was in the area and I came by to check on you. Your front door was wide open so I grew cautious and decided to check it out."

"Again?" Prue asks in disbelief.

"Again. This has happened before?" Andy asks, trying to be as coy as possible.

"Yeah, it happened yesterday."

"Was anything out of place or taken?" Andy asks.

"No, everything was good." Prue answers as her eyes scan the living room.

"Well, everything seems to be in order down here." Andy says, "You want me to check upstairs?"

"Uh, no. No, no, no, no. That's ok." Prue says nervously as she places her bags on the table and tucks her hair behind her ears, "And hopes we're still on for tonight."

"Uh, tonight?" Andy says, caught off guard.

"Yeah, you wouldn't believe who popped back into my life after 20 years. Victor, my sperm donor."

Andy laughs and tries to cover his laugh with a cough, "Sorry to hear that."

"Yeah, I know. He wants to have dinner tonight but I'm definitely not going." Prue says adamantly.

A second later, Cynda knocks and opens the front door, "I saw a cop car outside the house, and just wondering if everything okay in here?"

"Are you really concerned or you're just asking because you're being nosy?" Prue asks.

"Was actually concerned but never mind." Cynda says defensively as she begins to head out, "Glad to see everything is okay."

"Yeah, Mhm." Prue nods.

"I guess I'll get going." Andy says as he leans in and kisses Prue on the cheek and walks out.

Prue walks closer to the front door and closes the door. She instinctively heads up the stairs until she reaches the attic. Releasing a horrid gasp at the sight of her attic, she walks inside slowly and looks around.

The door leaned against the couch across the room and numerous articles of clothing were scattered throughout the attic. Prue walks into the corner of the attic and in an old box; she digs and takes out the Grimoire.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she glances around the attic once more and tries to make sense of what she sees.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

"Can you help me with my zipper, Piper?" Phoebe asks as turns around in a black dress in the mirror.

"You can do it yourself, you don't need me." Piper mumbles in the corner as she applies makeup to her face.

"Geez, you can't even do me one simple favor?" Phoebe asks.

"You don't need my help, Phoebe." Piper says, "You only want me to help you just so that you can rub your outfit in my face. You may have been gone for six months but you are still the same Phoebe."

Phoebe smiles sinisterly as she reaches and zips the dress and tosses and tousles her hair.

Prue walks in and leans against the frame of the door, watching her sisters getting ready for the dinner with Victor. Internally, she wanted to sit them down and tie them up to keep them from going but she was trying her hardest to maintain her restraint.

"So you guys are really going, huh?" Prue asks.

"No, we're just putting on our dresses for the sake of our own benefit." Piper says sarcastically.

"I can't believe you guys are still going after someone made another attempt to steal the Grimoire." Prue says, "That's two tries in twenty four hours."

"And what are we supposed to do, Prue?" Phoebe asks, "We locked the doors and they still managed to get in. There's only so much we can do, Prue."

"Yeah, besides the problem will still be there in the morning. We only have the chance to see Victor now." Piper adds.

"Well, I've already seen him so I don't need to go. I have a date with Andy tonight anyway." Prue says.

"Speaking of Andy, how do you know it wasn't him?" Phoebe asks.

"Because it's not him. I know it." Prue says.

"Sure." Piper says, "Maybe your feelings for him are clouding your better judgement."

"There are no feelings, Piper." Prue snaps angrily.

"You're pretty angry and defensive for someone you don't have any emotional attachment to." Phoebe chimes in.

"You know what, have fun." Prue says as she turns around and walks away.

"That was a good one." Piper says, impressed with Phoebe's last line.

"You too." Phoebe says with a smile, "Are you ready?"

"Yup." Piper says as she puts on her jacket and walks out, "Let's get this night over with."

Phoebe looks at herself once more and walks out, following her sister.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

In a dimly lit restaurant, Piper, Phoebe and Victor are sitting at a table. Piper nibbles on a carrot nervously as the three exchange awkward glances among each other.

"Girls, you have no idea how excited I am to see you. It's not lie we don't have a lot to talk about." Victor says in his feeble attempt to break the ice.

"I mean, we do." Piper says, "We have a few questions."

"You know the last time we ate dinner together, you would only eat food that was white. I'm glad you've outgrown that."

"Of course I've outgrown it. I was four. I wasn't going to eat cauliflower and rice forever." Piper shoots back.

The awkwardness reemerges as silence surrounds their table.

"You would've been what, One?" Victor asks Phoebe, who shoots him an angry stare.

"You know you couldn't walk yet but you could swim." Victor says to Phoebe, "You were my little mermaid." Victor says, "Hell, you look a little bit like Ariel too."

"Yeah, try to win my affections by comparing me to a fish." Phoebe mutters to Victor.

"You know I'm trying, Phoebe." Victor says.

"Yeah, I know you are but why now? After all this time, why here?" Phoebe asks.

"Well, I heard the food is pretty great here and it  _is_  dinner time." Victor says, cracking a joke.

"Ugh…" Piper says as she rolls her eyes.

The waiter walks in and places a plate in front of Phoebe.

"Here you are…" he says with a smile.

Phoebe looks at her plate and smacks her lips happily as she waves at the waiter dismissively.

"Bon appetite." Victor says as he watches his daughters dig into their meal.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

Back at the Manor, Prue sits on her couch with a tall glass of wine and a bowl of popcorn watching television. The doorbell sounds the air and she looks at her clock on the wall and scoffs loudly.

"Go away!" she yells but the visitor rings the doorbell once more. Giving up, Prue stands up and walks towards the front door and opens it.

"My date apparently stood me up today so I figured I'd stop by." Andy says with a smile and a bottle of wine.

Prue takes a deep breath and steps aside as Andy walks in. She bites her lip as she closes the door and follows Andy in.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

"And all of a sudden there he was. He just showed up at my job." Prue rants as she pours more wine into her glass with Andy sitting next to her on the couch

"That's a good enough reason to stand me up." Andy says, "How are you dealing with that?"

"Honestly, I'm not but the bottle of wine is helping."

"I can see that." Andy says as he looks at the bowl of popcorn and wine, "And you think watching Olivia Pope is going to ease your mind?"

"She does the job of distracting me though." Prue says with a smile.

"Only for an hour, Prue." Andy rebuts, "What do you think he wants?"

"Apparently dinner." Prue answers, "Piper and Phoebe are there with him now. You know, they just don't understand. They don't know him like I do. I can't believe I let them go…"

"They're grown women, Prue. You can't tell them what to do anymore." Andy says.

"I can't believe they went." Prue whispers to herself, "Victor is acting like no time has passed; like we are still his little girls and we're not. He forfeited that right when he left us."

Prue grabs her glass and begins to chug as Andy watches her, half impressed and half worried.

"There are things I want to tell him, I want him to know what he missed. You know, like the time I broke my arm after I got into my first fist fight, the first time I got suspended in school. The night I took Grams' car for a joy ride and got arrested, the night of our prom…"

"Didn't we miss that too?" Andy says with a smile and Prue's scowl grows into a smile.

"It would've been nice if he was there for all of it but he wasn't. I want him to know that." Prue says as she pauses for a moment. Trying her hardest to hold back her angst and animosity but fails, she resumes her rant, "And I'm sorry but I want some answers, like where the hell's he been all my life. Why is he here now? He can't come over here and wine and dine us and think all is forgiven."

"So what's stopping you?" Andy asks.

Prue slowly glances over at the bottle of wine and then at Andy.

"So what? You've got a little bit of liquor courage. That's all you need to cuss him out." Andy laughs, "Come on, I'll drop you off."

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

As Andy speeds off into the night, Prue stares at the restaurant and takes a deep breath. Her mind was swimming with numerous thoughts and her skin tingled with nerves as she walked into the restaurant.

As she looked around the restaurant, she could hear Phoebe's loud laugh in the corner mixed in with Victor's. The two shared a lot in common and it couldn't be any clearer at that moment. As Prue weaved her way through the crowd, anger flashed through her body as she neared closer to her sisters and Victor.

Victor stands up as soon as his eyes met with Prue's and like second nature; the first word that comes out of his mouth was "Prudence."

Piper and Phoebe look on in shock as Prue arrives at the table.

"Did I miss much?" Prue asks.

"Uh, just catch up. Dad was just filling us in. Memory lane." Phoebe answers.

"Has he mentioned where he's been all our lives?"

"Prue…" Piper scoffs as Prue looks around the restaurant.

"I don't understand. If you can afford to splurge at a spot like this, why didn't you help out when Grams died? We actually could've used it then instead of me hawking auction items to pay it off." Prue says.

"He explained it all, Prue." Piper says, coming to Victor's defense, "The money, all of this, it's new. He's in town for a business opportunity, actually…"

"And you would've known if you came along with us on time instead of making an impromptu visit." Phoebe adds.

"It's ok, girls." Victor says as he takes his seat, "I'm a big boy. I didn't come back because I was afraid I would bring your hopes up only to disappoint you again."

"And what do you call this?" Prue asks.

"Well, you three aren't exactly the hopeful bunch so…" Victor says.

"I wonder where the damn waiter is with the shots." Piper says with a panicked smile.

"Can you sit down, Prue? Order something to eat…" Victor offers.

"I'm not hungry." Prue says, shutting him down.

"Always in a hurry, Prue." Victor smiles, "You skipped crawling and went straight to walking."

"Ah, we're sharing memories." Prue says with a sarcastic smile, "Well, I got one of my own…your back walking out the door."

"Now, that's not fair." Victor says as his cool demeanor shifts, "You know the truth."

Just as a waiter approaches their table with a flambé cake, Victor puts his foot out and trips him. Piper freezes him and the entire restaurant. She looks at Prue and Phoebe who look around, panicking.

"Do something!" Phoebe urges Piper.

Piper jumps up and runs towards the waiter and grabs the cake. Almost instantaneously, the room unfreezes and the waiter falls to the ground and Piper smiles nervously.

"Screw the shots, who wants flambé?" Piper asks as she chuckles.

The waiter jumps back up and grabs the cake from Piper.

"You could've helped me from falling but you saved the cake instead?" he asks angrily.

"You're lucky I'm not requesting to speak to your manager to get you fired with you being rude right now." Piper says coldly, "Please walk away before I change my mind."

The waiter scurries off and Piper flips her hair as she turns to face her family.

"Nice reflexes." Victor says, "Now let me get this straight. Piper, you freeze time. Prudence, don't you move objects? And what's your trick, Phoebe? Premonitions?"

Phoebe looks at the sisters and then at Victor with her jaw dropped.

"Maybe we should talk about this elsewhere." Victor says as he takes a deep breath.

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In their apartment, Cynda, Marshall and Fritz pace around in their living room, growing increasingly frustrated at their obviously failing plans.

"The witches are on their way home?" Cynda asks with a growl.

"Apparently so." Marshall answers, sounding defeated.

"We've tried it your way, Marshall and it hasn't worked." Cynda says angrily, "We tried it Fritz's way and it didn't work. Let's try it my way."

"Your way is approaching the sisters head on." Fritz says, "That's suicide."

"We wouldn't know unless we tried." Cynda says as she cracks her knuckles.

A white light shines brightly in their midst and immediately moves towards Fritz. Fritz absorbs the light and his eyes turn into a fluorescent white with his voice distorted and deep.

"What's going on?" Cynda asks fearfully.

"What is taking so long to accomplish the mission?" the mysterious figure possessing Fritz asks.

"We're trying to figure out the best way to strike." Marshall answers, "Everything is under control."

"Move faster." The voice says, "We're running out of time."

"We're on it. Don't worry. We will not fail you." Marshall says.

"You will not fail us…" the voice says, "or else…"

"Or else what?" Cynda asks as Fritz turns to face Cynda.

"You really do not want to find out." The possessed Fritz answers "Get it done!"

"We will. We will." Marshall says as he nods nervously. The light rises from Fritz's body and disappears through the ceiling. Fritz falls to the ground and looks around.

"What happened?" he asks in confusion.

"We've got to play the last chip we've got." Marshall says.

"Victor?" Cynda asks.

"Victor." Marshall answers, "And if that doesn't work, then we go with your plan, Cynda."

Cynda smiles satisfactorily as she rubs her hands together.

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In the living room of the Manor, laughter fills the air as Victor tells his stories and anecdotes. Prue walks in, unamused as she grills her sisters and the room falls silent.

"Is everything where it's supposed to be?" Piper asks.

"Yup." Prue answers, "What was so funny?"

"Dad was telling us about this day…" Piper says as she hands Prue a framed photograph, "Do you remember the day this was taken?"

"Yeah, family picnic." Prue answers, "It rained and I wanted to play in the rain but Victor wouldn't let me."

"No, your mother wouldn't let you." Victor corrects her, "I was advocating for you but your mom was a force to be reckoned with. She packed us all up and brought us home and we had the picnic here in the living room. Do you remember that, Prue?"

"Barely."

"Prue…" Phoebe says with a disappointed tone.

"It's okay, Phoebe. Prue ran upstairs, refusing to participate in the family picnic. She found her in the attic, playing with some interesting things. The attic was an interesting place in and of itself."

"You don't say…" Piper says.

"Yeah, Grams left us a lot of things in the attic." Phoebe adds.

"Phoebe, let's not go there." Prue says in a scolding tone.

"What? It's not like he doesn't already know and I'm sorry but it's kind of a relief to talk to someone about it."

"Dad, do you want some coffee?" Piper asks as she stands up.

"I mean, one day I am being considered a millennial with a thing for technology and the next I'm a witch."

"Phoebe!" Prue yells.

"No coffee. What about tequila shots?" Piper says nervously, "Do we have any salt and lime?"

"I just read from the book and 'wham', I am Tabitha. The only thing is I got struck with the power to see the future. How uncool is that?"

"Well from what your mother always said, it was actually considered one of the most desired powers." Victor says.

"How is seeing the future desirable?" Phoebe asks, "All I see are things I don't desire."

"How long have you known about us? Our powers?" Prue asks angrily.

"I knew there was a possibility." Victor answers, "That's why I came back, to find out. It must have happened when your grandmother died, right?"

"Yeah, I just read an incantation from the book and…"

"PHOEBE!" Prue yells once more, her impatience shining through her eyes.

"Ahh, the Grimoire." Victor says coolly, "Not exactly summer reading. Is it still up in the attic? You know, I haven't seen it in years. Mind if I have a look?"

The sisters stare at each other, sharing a scared and concerned look.

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Phoebe Halliwell sat in the corner of her living room watching her sisters Prue and Piper argue with their father, Victor Bennett. Usually, Phoebe would have been the more outspoken one, leading the charge with Prue and maybe Piper but this time, she was torn between the two sides.

She wanted so desperately to side with her father, because no one in the world understood her more than him but her premonition was also very hard to ignore. The proof was in her vision which clearly showed her father taking their magical tome away from their home and she couldn't dispute it. She was proving Prue right. She was too optimistic for her own good; her positive outlook in a world where majority of the people were selfish and deep down to the core, evil was to her detriment but she believed in her heart that it was a good quality for her to wield. With her thoughts suspending her mind away from the chaos unfolding before her, she finally brings herself to seeing her father outnumbered and her being powerless to do anything about it.

"What exactly are you accusing me of, Prue?" Victor asks, slightly raising his voice in defense.

"You should already know, Victor. Figure it out." Prue says.

"Come on, Prue. Maybe we should take it easy…" Phoebe begins to chime in but Piper cuts her off.

"He hasn't said anything to make us trust him so I want to hear what he has to say." Piper says.

"I understand that but can we all just take a deep breath…" Phoebe suggests before Prue cuts her off this time.

"Are you kidding me? Can you not see what is going on here?" Prue shouts angrily.

"If you would just stop jumping down his throat, maybe he would finally have the time to explain, Prue!" Piper blurts out.

"Think about it, Piper. He wines and dines is and now he's back in the house he hasn't set foot in for twenty years and the first thing he wants to know is where's the Grimoire?"

"You're just looking for something to blame him for." Phoebe says, siding with her father.

"I know you're the optimistic one but even you cannot be this blind and stupid, Phoebe. Use your logic over your heart and see the truth for what it is." Prue says in a desperate attempt to convince her sisters. She turns to face her father and folds her arms.

"Admit it, Victor. Tell them why you're here." Prue says, "For the first time in your life, Victor, tell them the truth."

"Alright fine!" Victor says as he stands up, "You're right. I am after the book. That's the exact reason why I came back."

"Dad…" Phoebe whispers, as her heart breaks with disappointment.

"But not for the reasons you would like to believe. It would make it easier for you, Prue, wouldn't it?" Victor continues, "If I were good? Well, sorry to disappoint you, I'm not. I'm here to protect you."

"Yeah, right…" Prue scoffs as she rolls her eyes.

"To protect us from what?" Piper asks with an open mind.

"From yourselves." Victor answers, "That's why I want that damn book. You have no idea what forms of good are coming your way and what they will want to do to you in order to satisfy their end goal of having the upper hand. If it serves them to see all three of your heads on a spike, they'll sever it just so the scales of power will tip in your favor."

"Right, and  _you_ , a mere mortal knows this because?" Piper asks folding her arms.

"I have seen a lot when I was married to your mother and I saw the type of creatures came after you guys when you were little girls. I can't imagine what kind will try to get to you now." Victor says, "It's where the power of three started and it's where it must end."

"But it's a part of us, it's part of who we are." Phoebe chimes in.

"Yeah…" Victor says in a mere whisper, "That's what your mother believed too…before they killed her."

"What are you saying?" Piper asks.

"I'm just saying that you should think of yourselves. The powers are a good thing to have with the promise of being able to do whatever you want without personal gain problems and no consequences but that's all a lie. The Grimoire is a magnet for good. As long as you have it, as long as you  _use_  it, you're in danger. All of you."

Prue laughs in disbelief as she takes a step closer to her father, "You're unbelievable, you know that? After all these years of being an absentee dad, you waltz back into our lives and tell us how to live?"

"I can't tell you what to do, Prudence. Trust me, I know." Victor says, "The whole idea of free will is a major key to all of this. You have to decide that yourselves."

"So basically you're useless." Piper says as she stands up.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you where you stand." Prue says as she flicks the strand of hair from her face. Her eyes were fixated on Victor's and he knew that his daughter meant business, forcing him to stand down.

"Look, I never wanted you to have these powers in the first place. I battled with your grandmother after your mom died. She wanted you to find out you were witches when you grew up and continue this twisted legacy you guys have laid out for you. I didn't. I fought for you, hard! Your grandmother was too strong." Victor pleads.

"Now you're blaming Grams for you being a coward? You're not making a good case for yourself, Victor." Piper says.

"What did she do? Put a spell on you?" Prue asks sarcastically.

"Believe me, nothing short of that could've kept me away. You have to believe me…"

"And yet you stayed away anyway," Piper says quietly.

"Phoebe…" Victor says as he turns towards his youngest, "You believe me, don't you?"

"We've done fine without you…" Prue says in a definitive tone.

"Prudence, you can't fight this." Victor says as he inches closer to her, "I couldn't."

"We're not weak like you." Prue reaffirms to her father.

"Are you sure? Are you sure you can protect your sisters forever?" Victor asks.

"We'll protect each other." Piper answers.

"Then you'll die together."

"No one can hurt us as bad as you." Prue signs off.

Losing herself in her emotions, her power overpowers her entire being as she unleashes her telekinesis on Victor. Victor flies across the room and hits the door frame directly behind him and falls to the floor. After a few seconds, he stands up and looks at all three women and looks at Prue.

"If you wanted me to leave…" Victor says as he buttons up his blazer and out of breath, "All you had to do…was ask."

He performs a quick glance around the room and walks out calmly.

"Why did you have to do that?" Phoebe asks angrily.

"Phoebe…" Prue tries to explain but Phoebe follows Victor outside.

"Piper…" Prue says, turning to her younger sister for back up.

"I would've thrown him myself if you didn't." Piper sighs.

Piper's comment brought a little smile to Prue's face but she still felt guilty within, a feeling that was not familiar with her but she couldn't shake.

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Across the city at the Beaumark hotel, a beep is heard and the door swings open. Dragging his feet and sighing heavily, Victor turns on the lights and sees Fritz, Marshall and Cynda standing there.

"Good evening, Victor." Marshall says with a smile, "Where have you been?"

"Good evening?" Victor chuckles, "Not even in the slightest but maybe to you, it might be. How did you get in here?"

"I think you should be more concerned with what we're doing here." Marshall rebuts.

"Hmm…" Victor hums as he takes a seat and grabs his cigar, "I was wondering when good was going to rear its ugly head."

"Consider it reared." Marshall says with a smile, "I don't know what kind of people you're used to dealing with but we don't have the patience and we will smite you where you stand without a moment's thought."

Victor looks at himself sitting in his chair and then looks back at Marshall with a smile, "Smiting. That's all you good people do, huh? Threaten smiting your people for them to do your bidding. Clearly that isn't working out well for you, is it? You need me as much as I need you. Actually, you need me more than I need you so I doubt that any smiting will occur."

"Clever words for a man about to be incinerated into dust." Fritz says as he cracks his knuckles.

"Cocky words for a man who can't get a simple book out of a house…" Victor shoots back.

Fritz prepares to counter with a clap back but Victor shuts him down, "Shut the hell up."

Fritz falls back and looks at Marshall and Cynda.

"Shapeshifters. Aren't you guys on the lowest of the totem pole of the hierarchy of good? You're trying to rise up the ranks by taking on my daughters and bring glory to your name. You aren't doing this for the greater good like you'd like to tell yourselves, you're doing this to benefit and promote yourselves."

"Are you sure we need him?" Cynda asks angrily as strands of electricity flow through her fingers, "Why don't we just…"

"Shapeshift into me and try to get to the girls that way?" Victor asks, "It won't work."

"Why not?" Cynda asks.

"Can I poke holes?" Victor asks.

"Poke away." Marshall responds.

Victor takes a long drag out of his cigar and exhales smoothly.

"After tonight, the girls won't let me or anything that looks like me back into their lives, let alone the house. I have officially been kicked out. There is however, one sister I can reach. Phoebe."

"So why don't I just become you and I'll reach her?" Cynda asks.

"Because only her real father would know what kind of buttons to push. The ones that would get me back in." Victor says as he stands up, "If you 'smite' me, you'll never know what they are. You'll never get back into the house and you'll never get the Grimoire."

"You're sure that it would work?" Fritz asks.

"Yes." Victor answers as he walks across the room, "Can I ask a question?"

"Sure…" Cynda answers.

"I know why I want the Grimoire; the question is why do you want it so bad?" Victor asks, "what does that get you?"

"You got this?" Cynda asks Fritz to which Fritz nods.

"When a neophyte witch is new to the craft, they have a 48 hour window to choose which side they want to fight for, good or evil. The 48 hour window works only if they have a guide to nudge them in the right or wrong direction…" Fritz explains.

"But they received their powers two weeks ago." Victor says, clearly confused.

"Exactly." Marshall joins in, "Two weeks with no wiccan guide to show them which way to turn. The only thing they are relying on at the moment for guidance is…"

"The Grimoire." Victor realizes.

"Manipulate the magic of the book and turn it to our side and along with it, the powers that came from it, currently being utilized by the sisters." Marshall explains.

"By any means necessary, right?" Victor chuckles.

"By any means necessary." Marshall nods with a smile.

Victor looks at the shapeshifters and smiles uneasily,

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The sun shines brightly across the bay of San Francisco and the normal chaos associated with this world sounds the air. Windows shattering, cars honking and angry yelling can be heard up and down Prescott Street. Inside the Manor, Piper and Prue laugh as they eat their breakfast and Phoebe finally walks in.

"Hey, guys…" Phoebe says, trying to get their attention but to no avail.

"Guys?" Phoebe calls out again as she snatches a napkin from the table and waves it in front of them, "Can we have a family meeting for five minutes? I have a confession to make."

Prue and Piper turn towards Phoebe and Phoebe sits down.

"You remember when we agreed not to see dad? Yeah, well, I did…"

"Hello, I was with you." Piper says.

"No." Phoebe says softly, "By myself before dinner and I had a premonition about dad when he hugged me. He was stealing the Grimoire so you were right about him, Prue."

"Why didn't you tell us?!" Prue says as her temper began to rise, evident in her tone.

"I didn't want the premonition to be true. I was hoping there was a good explanation for it. Hoping that he was here for us. I really wanted him back in our lives. He's our dad." Phoebe says as her voice begins to break.

"See, first mistake you did was hope. Hoping is dangerous for people like us. I told you that your optimism is your Achilles heel." Prue says as she stands up and walks towards Phoebe, "But I understand why you did that. You chased the guy through New York for 6 months, I'm not surprised. It's okay, Phoebe."

Prue wraps her arms around Phoebe and the two share the most awkward hug two people could ever have. But to their defense, this was their first hug and heartfelt moment the two sisters have shared since Phoebe's return home. For people who lived their lives as selfish and evil as possible, this was not the worst thing that could happen.

A glisten of gold catches Piper's eye on the floor as she stands up to find out what it is.

"Hey, look." Piper says as she bends over and pics up Victor's ring, "Dad's ring. What's it doing here?"

"It must have come off when Prue threw him against the wall…" Phoebe says as Piper hands the ring to Prue.

"You couldn't be subtle with that?" Prue asks.

"Nah, there was no way to sugar coat it." Phoebe says with a smile.

"I hate you." Prue grills Phoebe with a smile.

"No, you adore me." Phoebe smiles back.

"Well, I'll take it back to his hotel." Prue says as she places the ring on the table.

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Phoebe runs down the stoop of the Manor. She sees Marshall and Fritz standing across the street and she gives them a gentle nod. She looks over her shoulder and digs out the newspaper buried in the shrubbery. As she mutters her displeasure, she feels a presence creeping behind her. She turns around to find Victor standing behind her and gasps.

"Don't be afraid." Victor whispers.

"What are you…?" Phoebe begins to stutter, "You have to leave."

"Phoebe, please. This is very important." Victor pleads.

"I can't." Phoebe says, "I don't want to talk to you anymore."

"Phoebe, you have to get the book out of the house." Victor says a little louder.

"You have to leave…" Phoebe says as she tries to walk away but Victor grabs her arm and turns her around.

"Phoebe, trust me. Look!" Victor urges his daughter as she is pulled into a premonition:

_A familiar premonition, very similar to the one she had before. She saw her father standing before her with the Grimoire in his arms and smiles. As Victor's smile grows, he morphs into Marshall and walks across the street, with Cynda and Fritz joining him._

Phoebe comes out of the premonition in shock as she stares into her father's eyes and sees what she was searching for the entire time lingering in his eyes; the truth. Marshall and Fritz walk over, trying to assess the situation.

"Excuse me, her. Is this guy bothering you?" Marshall asks, "Just say the word, Phoebe and we'll toss his ass across the street."

"Uh, no." Phoebe stutters as she flashes a fake smile, "This is my, uh….this is Victor."

"We were just saying goodbye." Victor adds.

"Yeah, I got to run." Phoebe chuckles nervously as she turns around and runs up the stairs and into the Manor. Fritz and Marshall look at each other and then at Victor warily.

"What's the matter?" Victor asks as he turns around to face Fritz and Marshall, "Don't you trust me?"

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As Prue comes down the stairs in the Manor, she sees Phoebe running towards her, sprinting like her life depended on it.

"Dad's not after the Grimoire, it's Marshall." Phoebe informs Prue as she runs past her.

"What?" Prue asks, clearly caught off guard.

Phoebe stops on the stairs and looks down at Prue to explain, "My premonition. It wasn't dad. Got to find a spell and banish them."

"Banish who?" Prue asks.

"The neighbors. They're shapeshifters. Fritz and Marshall and the…" Phoebe pauses as she tries an attempt to describe Cynda. Piper and Cynda walk in and Phoebe looks at Prue.

"Jello shots?" Cynda asks, "We just took them out of the freezer. They're pretty good."

Fritz walks into the Manor uninvited, "Hey, door was unlocked."

"Where are you going, Pheebs?" Piper asks.

"Uh, just to go get something." Phoebe answers as she turns to Cynda with a smile, "Will you save me one of the jello shots?"

Cynda smiles.

"Okay." Phoebe whispers as she races upstairs.

"Daddy's home." Victor announces loudly as he walks into the foyer of the Manor.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

Phoebe runs into the attic and heads towards a closet in the corner. She pulls the clothes on the rack apart and drops to her knees, revealing the Grimoire before her. She begins to flip through the pages rapidly and them stops.

"Damn it, damn it! I have no idea what I'm looking for…." Phoebe says out of frustration.

The pages begin to flip by themselves and Phoebe is taken aback, "Ok, I can take a hint."

The pages stop flipping and lands on a page.

" _When in the circle that is home_  
Safety's gone and goodness roam  
Rid all beings from these walls  
Save sisters three now heed out call." Phoebe mumbles to herself.

Phoebe reads the incantation to herself a couple of more times and closes her eyes as she commits the spell to memory. She gets up and runs out of the attic.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

Phoebe runs downstairs to join Prue when she sees Victor standing by the bannister.

"Uh, Dad, you can't be here. You have to leave now!" Phoebe advises.

Another Victor walks in.

"Okay, hold up. Time out. What's going on here?" Piper asks, clearly confused.

"Don't worry about it, Piper. Everything's going to be fine." Victor says calmly.

"Don't trust him." The second Victor shouts.

"Wait a second, last week we had no dads and now we have two?" Piper says trying to figure out the situation.

"Phoebe, remember, remember when you were little and you hated the light? You always wanted to sleep in pitch darkness or else you couldn't sleep at all." Victor #1 says, "Who else but your real father would know that."

"He's right, Phoebe." Piper whispers to her sister, "You even thought the sun was going to fall out of the sky and burn us all at one point in time, remember?"

"Only thing is that you're not her real father. I am." Victor #2 reasserts.

"Only an imposter would say something like that, when you have nothing to stand on." Victor #1 says.

"Look, Prue. I said I came back to protect you. Now there's only one way to do it. Kill us both." Victor #2 says.

"You're bluffing." Victor #1 laughs.

"Am I?" Victor #2 asks, "Do it, it's the only way."

"Do it, Phoebe." Prue mutters under her breath.

"The spell will kill everyone including dad." Phoebe warns.

"I don't know what to do!" Prue yells, "What should I do?"

"I can't tell you what to do, Prudence…" Victor #2 says as he smiles, "Free will, remember?"

"Prue, the protection ring." Piper whispers to Prue. Prue nods and looks at Victor #2 with tears in her eyes. As she nods to ensure his safety, Prue squints as the ring slides across the table and Victor #2 picks it up and slides it onto his finger.

"Phoebe, now!" Prue orders her sister to chant the spell.

" _In the circle that is home  
Safety's gone and goodness roam…_"

Cynda begins to writhe as she turns into a beast with sharp teeth, with blonde hair and pale skin. She begins to roar.

" _Rid all beings from these walls,  
Save sisters three, now heed our call._"

A gust of wind is conjured as the shapeshifters begins to assume their true form. They begin to melt as Phoebe continues to chant. She sees Victor fall to his knees in pain.

" _When in the circle that is home  
Safety's gone and goodness roam…"_

"Dad!" Phoebe screams.

"It's okay! Keep going!" Victor screeches in pain.

Piper, Phoebe and Prue chant together as they recite the last couplet of the spell.

" _Rid all beings from these walls  
Save sisters three now heed our call."_

The shapeshifters melt and disappear from sight and Prue, Piper and Phoebe immediately run over to Victor. Prue helps him up.

"For a moment there, I didn't know what you were going to do." Victor says sounding a little bit winded.

"For a moment, neither did I." Prue says with a smile.

"I thought you didn't want us to use our magic." Phoebe asks.

"I didn't but like I pointed out earlier. You don't need your old man to tell you what to do. You are not my little terrors anymore." Victor says.

"We're still your little terrors." Piper smiles, "We're just…"

"Evil witches now…" Prue says, finishing Piper's sentence.

"That would teach me to try to protect you guys from anything…" Victor smiles.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

As the sun sets and the darkness stretches across the city of San Francisco, the streets get increasingly dangerous with angry drivers, looters and fighting among certain citizens; something that has become the norm to the inhabitants of this world. As Prue pulls up into her driveway and walks across to the front door, Andy appears behind her, startling Prue.

"I didn't think you were the type to be startled so easily." Andy laughs.

"That wasn't funny, Andy." Prue says in a serious tone.

"Well, I won't do that again without warning." Andy says.

"Is that the best you got for an apology?" Prue asks.

"That's the best you're going to get." Andy says with a smile.

"Why are you here, Andy?" Prue asks.

"Since we didn't get a chance to go on our date, I'm here to redeem my raincheck."

"Are you really?" Prue asks with a smile as she leans closer to Andy.

"Yeah. What are you doing tonight?" Andy asks.

"I have a date tonight." Prue says as she watches Andy's smile disappear, "With my father…"

"Ok. So extending that raincheck then. Since you are so busy, you choose the time and place and I'll just show up." Andy says.

"So basically, make me do all the work?"

"In my defense, I have done the work twice and you've failed me both times."

"Fine. How about tomorrow night at Boulevard Restaurant at 8 pm?" Prue asks.

"Sounds good." Andy answers.

"It should…" Prue says as she opens the door and looks back "It's your treat."

Andy gasps as he watches Prue smile and slams the door in his face. Andy smiles and walks down the stairs and heads towards his car.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

As Prue enters the Manor, Phoebe and Piper join her.

"You're late!" Piper scolds.

"I know but it should only take me a few minutes to change in time for the dinner." Prue answers.

"You?" Phoebe asks, "It takes you 10 minutes alone to fix that mane on your head you call hair, yet alone a whole outfit change."

"Well, dad has waited 20 years for this, I'm pretty sure he can wait a few more minutes." Prue smiles.

"So he's dad now?" Phoebe asks.

"Yes, Phoebe." Prue says as she gives Phoebe a double take, "And you couldn't wear anything casual?"

"This  _is_  casual." Phoebe says in defense.

"Phoebe, you look like you're about to work a stripper pole." Prue laughs.

"I don't care. This is the best I could find." Phoebe says, "Besides, who knows how long it will be before we see him again?"

"You don't think he'll stick around?" Piper asks.

"Well, after chasing him for the past six months, I'm glad I finally found some closure. Got some things off my chest and now I no longer have a romanticized image of him so it worked out in my favor." Phoebe says.

"And at least he's not some innocent creature from the depths of the underworld which is reassuring considering we share his genes." Prue says.

"I'm just glad that we have closed that chapter of always not knowing what happened…sort of." Piper says as the doorbell rings, "I'll get that."

Piper steps away and after a few moments later, Piper walks back in with a young gentleman.

"Who are you?" Prue asks rudely.

"I'm Leo. Leo Wyatt." He introduces himself.

"The handyman?" Phoebe asks, surprised and clearly attracted.

"Yeah." Leo says with a smile.

"Well, my, my, my…I'll be damned." Phoebe says as she bites her lower lip.

"Uh, this was on the steps." Leo says as she unveils a yellow envelope and hands it to Prue as she opens up the envelope. He looks around the Manor and takes it all in. "This place is uh…you don't find many like this around anymore."

"Yeah, it's kind of falling apart." Piper says.

"The problem isn't the manor…" Leo says, "It's the manner in which it was treated."

Piper snickers as she tucks her hair behind her ears, "Do you really talk like that?"

"Is there a problem with the way I speak?" Leo asks.

"Nothing." Piper says, "You probably got your ass kicked from junior high through high school."

Leo scoffs and rolls his eyes as he looks around, "I'd love to see more."

"And I would love to show it to you. The attic is this way." Phoebe says as she pushes Piper out of the way and heads towards the stairs.

"Uh, Phoebe, what about dinner?" Piper asks.

"Prue still has to change. We have time." Phoebe answers.

"Uh, no we don't." Prue says as she reads the note found in the envelope.

"Go ahead, Leo." Phoebe waves at Leo, "I'll be right up."

"He's not coming." Prue says in a low, disappointing tone.

"Who's not coming?" Piper asks.

"Dad. He sent this." Prue answers as she begins to read the note, " _Girls, something's come up. I had to leave town. Can't make it to dinner. Probably best if we let the dust settle anyway. I know there isn't anything I can't do to redeem myself but this is least I can do. Love, dad."_

Prue takes out another white envelope and takes out a letter and a check.

" _Enclosed is the address to a venue. There, you will find a collection of items I have acquired over my travels to be auctioned off. The appraised amount is close to $92,000. I'm pretty sure that would be enough to help you out with your job, Prudence and have enough left over for you and your sisters to do with it whatever you wish. Hope that helps."_

Piper and Phoebe look at each other and then look at Prue.

"Like I told you, having hope is dangerous for people like us." Prue says with fury burning in her eyes, "It will destroy us every single time."

Prue walks away from her sisters and marches up the stairs as Piper and Phoebe look on rendered speechless.

FADE TO BLACK

END OF EPISODE.


	5. 1x03: Wedding from Heaven (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mysterious woman comes into town with the hopes of marrying into a wealthy family. The Charmed Ones unknowingly and unwillingly get thrusted into the mix.

**1x03: Wedding from Heaven (Part 1)**

With the sun rising creeping so steadily over the horizon, the rays stretched across the skies of San Francisco and accompanying that, a fresh and cool breeze swept across the city sporadically. A large mansion can be seen, three to four stories high surrounded by pools and maze-like gardens.

Allison Michaels stood in the center of the garden, watching the sun rise over in the corner and the occasional breeze that blew her short blonde hair for a moment. Her gaze was distant, as if her mind was elsewhere, far away from where she stood.

"Mrs. Allison Spencer, I presume?" a man's voice can be heard saying, shattering her mini day dream as she turned around and smiled. Her smile faded away when she sees a man standing before her with a red rose.

"A rose?" she snaps quickly as she snatches it from his fingers and tosses it onto the ground, "You know I hate roses, Elliot….and it's Mrs. Allison Michael Spencer."

Taken aback, Elliot moves closer and wraps his arms around her, "Are you okay? You want to be alone?"

With a sigh, she moves closer and shakes her head in response, "No."

"You're not getting cold feet, are you?" Elliot asks.

"No, I'm definitely not getting cold feet. I love you, you know that…" Allison answers quickly but hesitates.

"But?"

"I don't know. It's just so overwhelming." Allison says as she breaks away from Elliot and runs her fingers through her short hair, "I mean after all the trouble we have endured these past few years, it feels too good to be true that this is finally happening. Just waiting for the other shoe to drop, that's all."

"You've just got to just take a deep breath and relax. Set your mind at ease."

"That is easier said than done." Allison says, cracking a half smile.

"Well, I've got an idea." Elliot says, "Let's elope."

"Yeah right…" Allison scoffs, "Like your mom would really allow that."

Elliot lifts up her chin and stares into her eyes. Without saying a single word, Elliot's eyes grant Allison the comfort she needed, the security she was yearning for. She smiles and leans in as they kiss.

"Elliot?" a female's voice can be heard calling out in the distance.

"Speak of the angel…" Allison says as she rolls her eyes.

Grace Spencer, a middle aged woman stood in the distance wearing a serious look. She wore a dark blue suit with a skirt to match and her hair was neatly tied into a bun so tight, her face looked slightly peeled back. Her demeanor was as tight as her bun, and her presence shifted the amorous mood in the garden in an instant second. With a swift but cavalier pep in her step, she strolls over and kisses her son on the cheek.

"Hi, mom." Elliot greets.

"I've been looking all over for you." Grace says with a hint of panic in her voice, "Did you get the marriage certificate yet?"

"Not yet."

"Well, you have to. The wedding won't be legal without it." Grace snaps quickly.

Elliot and Allison shoot Grace a confusing stare and Grace regains her composure.

"We're going to City Hall tomorrow before the rehearsal dinner." Elliot says, in hopes of assuring his mother.

"But why not go today?" Grace asks desperately.

"Mom, relax, will you?" Elliot chuckles slightly, "Why are you so bent about this?"

Grace begins to answer but her words cannot escape her lips. Allison looks past Grace's shoulders to see a blonde woman standing in the distance, wearing a wide grin accompanied by a chipper expression. Her bright pink suit with her white purse in her hand stood out in the bleakly colored maze of a garden.

"Who is that?" Allison asks curiously.

Grace turns around and her eyes meet the strange woman's standing in the distance.

"Oh no…" Grace whispers as she tries to hide her terror but fails miserably. The woman walks down with a pep in her step, the hair bouncing perfectly as she struts towards them.

"Who is it?" Elliot asks.

"Someone I haven't seen for a long time." Grace says as she rushes over to the woman to meet her half way.

"What are you doing here?" Grace whispers through her gritted teeth.

"Hello to you too, Grace…" the woman says with a smile, "What's the matter? Have you forgotten about our little pact?"

No, Jade…" Grace mutters nervously, "But I was hoping that you did. My God, you haven't aged in twenty years."

"See, you could've asked for eternal youth, Grace." Jade says happily, "But here we are. Wealth, power, all this; you have a good life, haven't you?"

Grace rolls her eyes and folds her arms nervously. The look of regret was sprawled all over her face as the tears welled up in her eyes. Another young woman approaches them and stands by Jade's side. Her eyes were cold and she wore a stone faced expression and if looks can kill, her stare alone would either turn her victims to stone or those who saw her would drop dead.

"Where to?" the young woman inquires as she stares at Grace without blinking.

"Oh, have the butler show you to our rooms, Kristen." Jade answers, "Tell them Mrs. Spencer was expecting us."

Kristen nods and walks away.

"You can't just move in here. People will be suspicious." Grace says as her voice grows quieter with worry, "What will I say?"

"Just tell them the truth." Jade says as her smile finally wanes and her voice begins to mirror the evilness within, "Say your son has had a change of heart. That was our deal, remember? Speaking of deals, are you going to introduce me to my betrothed or you're just going to be rude and a tight ass?"

Grace steps aside and waves towards Allison and Elliot. Elliot walks up to Grace and Jade with Allison on his arm.

"Who the hell are you?" Allison asks as her grip on Elliot's right arm tightens.

"Now, now dear…" Jade says as her smile grows, "Thanks for keeping Elliot company for me."

She leans in and locks lips with Elliot as they close their eyes to enjoy their passionate kiss, leaving Allison aghast. Red veiny lights transfer from Jade to Elliot's face, as his eyes open wide. He falls back as Jade smiles and wipes the corner of her lips.

"Elliot?!" Allison screams as she falls to her knees, shaking Elliot in order to get a response, "Elliot?!"

Elliot lies on his back, eyes fixated on the clear blue sky with little to no life lingering in his pupils. He didn't blink and the cries of Allison faded into the background as his mother stood by and watched hopelessly, her regret finally mounting high and weighing heavily on her heart and mind.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

A week later, peace befalls the Halliwell Manor as the sun rises and fixates in the center of the sky. Phoebe lay in bed, tossing and yawning happily as the sunlight streaks into her room through the blinds. She hears the silent creaks of the wooden floors in the distance, so light that you have to focus to hear them. Her eyes widen when she figures out what that noise is when she jumps out of bed, opens the door to her bedroom and notices Prue tip toeing around the house. Prue freezes and turns around as her eyes meet Phoebe's. After a momentary stare down, Prue spins and dashes down the hallway with Phoebe directly behind her.

"Nope! No you don't!" Phoebe screams as she chases Prue.

"I have to go to work in a few, I need the hot water. You're just going to be home all day. You can wait to take a shower." Prue argues as she tries to plead her case.

"Nope, I don't care." Phoebe says as Prue reaches the bathroom door and holds on to the handle. She and Phoebe begin to fight for control of the bathroom door knob.

"I actually have somewhere to go, Phoebe!"

"I don't care! Use the downstairs bathroom!" Phoebe rebuts.

"The downstairs bathroom has less water pressure."

"Sounds like a personal problem." Phoebe grunts.

"Fine." Prue says as she back up with her hands up, "Remember you made me do this."

"Do what?" Phoebe asks in confusion.

Prue squints her eyes and sends Phoebe flying across the hallway. She falls and slides across the ground unconsciously. Breathing a sigh of satisfaction, she flicks the hair out of her eyes as she twists the knob and tries to open the door but finds that the door is locked.

BANG BANG BANG BANG!

"Piper?!" Prue screams, "Are you in there?"

"What the hell is going on out there?" Piper's voice can be heard asking, muffled from the outside.

"How long are you going to be in there?" Prue asks.

"I'm almost done." Piper answers.

"Define almost." Prue asks, her impatience beginning to manifest.

"Give me a minute…or two." Piper says as she holds up a pregnancy test.

"You're positive?" Prue asks.

"I hope not." Piper mumbles to herself as she stares at the test with great trepidation.

"Piper, I cannot be late." Prue says.

"I know the feeling." Piper whispers.

"My first biannual auction starts tomorrow and I…"

"I thought you didn't care." Piper shouts.

"I don't but I can't get comfortable yet. Not with the new takeover. I can't get complacent until after this auction, then I can slack off again." Prue explains, "Until then…."

"Why don't you use the bathroom downstairs?" Piper asks.

"Because I don't want to!" Prue says, clearly sounding agitated.

"Well, it's not about what you want, is it?" Piper counters.

"If you're not out in three seconds, I will use my power to open this door." Prue threatens as she waits for an answer. She steps back and tucks her hair behind her ears.

"One…" she begins to countdown.

"Two."

"Thr…" she begins to count but she is tackled into the ground by Phoebe. Phoebe stands up and sighs happily as she looks down at an unconscious Prue laying on the ground.

Piper, still in the bathroom hears a loud thud and looks up. She looks down at the pregnancy test one more time and tosses it into the trash. She opens the door and sees Phoebe standing over Prue.

"Ha!" she sighs victoriously.

"What the hell is going on?" Piper asks confused.

"Just a little sister to sister rivalry. Nothing new." Phoebe smiles as she turns to Piper.

"What did you do to her?" Piper asks.

"The same thing she did to me but it doesn't matter…" Phoebe says, "Is there any hot water left?"

"Hmm?" Piper asks, seemingly distracted.

"Am I in for a cold shower? Yes or no?" Phoebe asks once more.

"Knowing you, you probably need the cold shower more than any of us do." Piper says as she walks out of the bathroom. She steps over Prue's unconscious body and walks away.

"Yeah, three cold showers in three days and the cold shower isn't helping me anymore than it helps you." Phoebe says as she steps into the bathroom and slams the door shut. Muttering to herself, she turns on the faucet and picks up her toothbrush. After putting the toothpaste on her brush, she begins to brush her teeth as her eyes wander aimlessly around the room when the colorful box in the trashcan catches her attention.

She picks up the box and is immediately pulled into a premonition:

_She sees a pair of legs opened on a hospital bed, surrounded by doctors. A doctor pulls a crying child from between the legs and gasps in horror at the sight of the child, a demonic baby shrieking with red skin and small horns protruding from its scalp._

Phoebe comes out of the premonition with a look of shock on her face.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

"I don't know why I have to do it!" Piper complains on the phone as Prue walks into the kitchen. She grabs an empty cup and begins to pour her coffee. She sits on the kitchen island and watches Piper pace back and forth angrily. She puts on her oven mitts, while pinning the phone between her ear and shoulder.

"Still, there are plenty of people at Quake who are perfectly capable of doing this! I have only been working at Quake for a month." Piper says as she opens up her oven and takes out the tray of hors d'oeuvres and slams them on the table. Prue chuckles as she takes a sip of her coffee, wallowing in her sister's obvious misery.

"Fine! I guess you give me no choice, do you? I'll be in soon." Piper says as she hangs up the phone and tosses her phone across the counter angrily.

"I take it today is not going to be your day?" Prue asks.

"Does it show?" Piper groans as she runs her fingers through her hair, "I think I'm going to be sick."

"Upstairs or downstairs bathroom?" Prue jokes.

"That isn't funny." Piper glares angrily at her sister.

"Not funny to you, dear sister but to me?" Prue says as her grin grows even larger.

"Go to hell." Piper spits back.

"Love you too, sister." Prue says as she takes another sip.

"Maybe I can ask Phoebe to help me with the catering."

"Phoebe? The jobless wonder?" Prue scoffs, "Good luck."

"I can use all the hands I can get." Piper says.

"Will your boss even allow you to do this?" Prue asks.

"My boss? That would be Chef Moore." Piper answers.

"Ah…" Prue finally understands Piper's frustration.

"Who is on his way to France and since technically the contract is with Quake, he's off the hook and I'm on the line. Now, I have to tell one of the richest families in the city that the chef they hired cannot do their wedding. They're stuck with me and I hope they go for it."

"Why do you care anyway? You can give this to one of your subordinates if you really don't want to do it."

"Did you not hear me say that this is for one of the richest families in the city?" Piper laughs, "I would be an idiot to pass this up."

"Well, I'm glad to see you 're not acting like the sky is falling." Prue says.

"Doesn't mean I'm still not nervous." Piper says

"You'll be okay. It's not the end of the world."

"What's not the end of the world?" Phoebe asks as she walks into the kitchen and stands between Piper and a sitting Prue.

"Piper's problem." Prue answers.

"Oh, you know too?" Phoebe gasps as her sisters give her a confused look.

"She just told me." Prue says.

"How do you know?" Piper asks.

"Oh, I…" Phoebe stutters but Prue interrupts her.

"I think Piper can handle this. And if they say otherwise, you can cast a spell on them to change their mind." Prue smiles as she stands up and grabs the newspaper.

"I thought maybe you could help me." Piper says as she turns to Phoebe.

"You want me to help you cast spells on mortals?" Phoebe says as her eyes light up.

"No, to help with the catering. Pick up some supplies, tie some bows. Keep me from turning any of them into frogs. At least until the wedding is over."

"Where's the fun in that?" Phoebe whines.

"$20 an hour?" Piper says in an effort to persuade her.

"I'll take it if I were you." Prue says as she walks out of the kitchen, "Good luck with the wedding."

"What do you say?" Piper asks.

"Uh, sure. I can't say no to easy money." Phoebe says as she watches Prue leave and then looks at Piper.

"Great." Piper says as she breathes a sigh of relief. She digs into her pocket and hands Phoebe a note, "Here's a list of supplies I need. I'll head to the Spence Estate and you can meet me there at 1:00."

"Uh, Piper…" Phoebe says as she looks at Piper with a lost look drawn all over her face, "You and Prue were really just talking about a wedding?"

"Yeah, what did you think we were talking about?" Piper asks.

"Jeremy…" Phoebe says as she exhales sharply, "…and his aftermath. You know, you slept with him."

"Ew." Piper says as she takes a step back, "Don't mention his name in this house ever again. He's in demon heaven. End of story. Let's focus on this wedding instead. We clear?"

"Crystal." Phoebe says with a nod.

Piper taps Phoebe on the shoulder gently as she walks away. Phoebe turns around and sees the tray of hors d'oeuvres, reaching to grab one.

"Don't touch those!" Piper screams from the other room, causing Phoebe to flinch.

"I'm not!" Phoebe screams in response as she turns to walk out. She turns back and grabs a couple of the hors d'oeuvres and stuffs them in her mouth as she dashes out of the kitchen.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

Driving up to the Spencer Estate, Piper's mouth drops wide open as her eyes glance over the huge towers that would have put the Buckingham Palace to shame. The walls were so high, they made the compound look like a fortress. The gates were gilded in black and gold with a golden S on the left gate and a backward S on the right. A man approached Piper's vehicle and tapped on the window gently.

"May I help you?"

"Uh, yeah. My name is Piper Halliwell. I'm the caterer."

The man looks through his tablet and scrolls down till he looks back at Piper, "We have a Chef Moore listed as the caterer."

"Yeah, that's been changed.

"That's something you need to talk to the Spencers about."

"And how do you expect me to do that if you won't let me inside?" Piper asks but the man shrugs.

"I really don't have time for this." Piper says as sighs. She sticks out her hands and freezes the gate man where he stands. She leans over and grabs his tablet and begins to look through it and smiles as she presses a button on the tablet. The gates swing open slowly and Piper tosses the tablet on to the ground, smashing the screen. She shifts gears in her car and drives through the open gates.

As she pulls up into the compound, she sees numerous vans and personnel unloading and setting up the venue, getting ready for the wedding of the year. She resumes her awe struck gaze as she looks around, admiring how large the property is, how green and perfect the grass is, how majestic the entire compound looks.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" a man's voice can be heard in the distance.

Piper turns around and sees a priest standing behind her with his arms folded and wearing a huge grin.

"I guess it's okay." Piper lies as she tucks her hair behind her ears.

"You keep lying to yourself if you must. This is going to be the event of the century." The priest says giddily.

"I think you're over exaggerating, aren't you?"

"Do you know what's going on here?" the priest asks Piper. He continues to speak when he sees Piper has not the slightest clue, "This is the beginning. She is going to be the bearer of the demon child who will usher in the new world order…"

"Excuse me?!" Piper asks in surprise.

"There's a reason why you're here…" the priest says with a smile, "Protect her."

"Father Trask!" two security guards shout as they approach Piper and the priest, "We've been expecting you."

The security guards grab Father Trask as they proceed to carry him out.

"Protect Hecate! She is the bearer of our savior! Protect her." He screams as he gets further and further away from Piper.

"Hecate?" Piper mutters to herself, "Whatever."

Piper walks to the back of her car as the security guard she froze earlier approaches her.

"YOU!"

"Ugh..." Piper scoffs as she turns around.

"You broke my tablet, and I didn't allow you to come in."

"Can you prove it?"

"Uhhh…" the security guard begins to stutter as Piper's grin grows.

"Thought so." Piper says as she taps him on the chest and starts to pile restaurant food trays in his arms, "I have ice sculptures melting over wedding cake. Be a dear and help me get these inside, would you? I doubt Mrs. Spencer likes to be kept waiting."

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

At the Buckland's Auction House, the chaos and the panic that had ensued during the past month seemed to have died down. The employees were more at ease even though Rex had them on their toes. Prue stands in Rex's office, rummaging through a couple of items when Hannah walks in. Prue picks up a carved idol and examines it. Hannah watches Prue from a distance with a smile as she quietly walks up to her.

"So what do we have here?" Hannah asks, causing Prue to jump.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." Hannah says as she laughs to herself.

"It's okay." Prue says as she looks down at the small statue in her hand, "It's a rare Lassa warrior fertility goddess. The tribe believed in its mere presence would help a woman conceive."

"Hmm. That item is in high demand. Someone has already tried to steal it already." Hannah notes.

"Really? I wonder why." Prue asks.

"You tell me. Appraise it and tell me how much it's worth." Hannah says.

"Ms. Halliwell, your sister is waiting for you in your office." Rex says as he walks into the office.

"Which sister?" Prue asks.

"The one who upon seeing your office said, 'I worked in bigger offices when I was in New York.'"

"Ahh, excuse me." Prue nods as she sets the statue down as she walks out.

"Uh, Prue?" Hannah calls out to her and Prue turns around.

"The fertility icon?" Hannah points.

"I'll take care of it in a second. I just want to see what my sister wants." Prue says, "I'll be back."

"Don't take too long." Rex says as he folds his arms.

Prue nods her understanding and walks away.

"Why are you trying to make leave this in her possession?" Rex asks Hannah as he picks up the fertility statue, "You know we're under strict orders to protect it and keep it away from the likes of her."

"She doesn't even know what this is for or who wants it. There's no way she is going to make the connection." Hannah responds.

"Her sister is catering the wedding. It is only a matter of time, Hannah. We can't be careless." Rex says cautiously.

"You worry too much." Hannah says with a smile as she strokes Rex's chin gently, "Take it easy and relax a little, will you?"

Hannah walks out, leaving Rex in the office, staring at the icon with a pensive look on his face.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

Prue walks into her office and slams the door shut. She sees Phoebe sitting in her chair, feet up on the desk as she laughs over the phone. Her laughter falters when she hears the door slam shut with Prue standing across the room, staring at her angrily.

"Okay, I got to go. I'll talk to you later." Phoebe says as she hangs up the phone, "I thought this place would be bigger than you described. I must say I am a little bit disappointed."

"Get out of my chair." Prue says as she walks closer to her desk and Phoebe stands up.

"Love you too, sister." Phoebe says as she blows a kiss.

"You knocked me unconscious this morning, definitely didn't feel the love then."

"That was after you used your power on me but we're even." Phoebe says as she folds her arms and leans against the desk.

"What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be helping Piper with the wedding?"

"I am but I need to talk to you first." Phoebe answers.

"Ok…" Prue says as she checks her wrist watch, "You've got five minutes. Go."

"Uh ok." Phoebe says as she stands up, "I had a vision this morning and in this vision, a thing was being born so, I started to think back to, oh, six, eight weeks ago…"

"is this your subtle way of saying you're pregnant?" Prue asks with widened eyes.

"What?!"

"That's why you came home from New York, isn't it?" Prue assumes, "You just got here a month and a half ago. It makes sense."

Phoebe laughs, "No. But I shouldn't be surprised that you would think that. You would think that after everything, I wouldn't be still considered the outcast of the Halliwell household, the…"

"Phoebe!" Prue cuts her off.

"Ok. No. I'm not pregnant."

"But then why..."

"Excuse me. I think I still have two more minutes left. For your information, you have another sister in the household who has had sex. Remember Jeremy? The guy who blew up in the attic? The goodie good warlock? Think about it, Prue. Because it wasn't me in that vision having the demon child. It was Piper."

"Are you sure? It doesn't make sense that…"

"I'm sure, Prue." Phoebe affirms, "If you won't believe me, you can believe my power."

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

Inside the Spencer compound, Grace paces back and forth as she sees Allison walking towards her building. In a fit of panic, she rushes out of the house and meets Allison. She drags Allison to the side.

"You're going to have to stop calling and showing up here, Allison. Do you understand?" Grace warns.

"Do I understand? Are you kidding me?" Allison says as she tries her best to maintain her composure, "You're keeping Elliot away from me and you want me to be fine with it? We're supposed to be married tomorrow."

"I can't explain right now."

"You're going to give me better than that." Allison says as she stands firm.

"Who is this Jade?" Allison asks.

"An old acquaintance of the family." Grace says.

"I don't believe that." Allison says, "Elliot would have told me about her."

"Elliot didn't tell you a lot of things about our family." Grace says as she grabs Allison by the arm and tries to drag her out, "You've got to go before I call the guards to kick you out. Leave with your dignity, Allison. Please."

Allison looks at Grace, staring at her with all the hatred one can muster.

"I'm sorry, Allison. He's going to marry Jade." Grace says as she turns around and walks away, leaving Allison to seethe and pout.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

In the kitchen of the Spencer estate, Piper moves around, barking orders as she tries to keep things in order. She walks over to the stove and stirs the pot, inhaling the aroma that seduces her nostrils. She breathes a sigh of satisfaction when she looks over to the other side of the room and sees her chef turning up the heat on one of the stoves.

"Keep that at a simmer, not a boil." Piper chides as she turns to another cook, "No! Not yet. I've got buns in the oven."

Phoebe standing by in the shadows mutters, "Yeah, you're not kidding." She walks in carrying two bags of groceries.

"Hey, sis!" Phoebe says in her usual chipper mood.

"Finally. Did you get everything?" Piper asks she digs through the grocery bags.

"Most of it…"

"I expected you over an hour ago. Where have you been?" Piper asks.

"I went to see Prue."

"At the auction house?" Piper says in confusion, "That's all the way down…what were you doing there?"

"Trying to decide if I need to save you or kill you…" Phoebe whispers under her breath.

Piper scrunches her face in confusion as the butler walks into the kitchen and interrupts with his thick English accent, "Mrs. Spencer and Miss D'Mon will see you now."

"Miss D'Mon?" Piper asks as she looks at the clipboard in her hands.

"The bride? Miss Jade D'Mon." the butler answers.

"I thought the bride's name was Allison…"

"She does not like to be kept waiting." The butler cuts her off in a monotone but rude voice.

"Now listen here, Benson…" Piper snaps but Phoebe holds her back.

"Piper!" Phoebe stands before her, "Remember the paycheck. It will all be worth it at the end."

"Can I at least freeze him?" Piper whispers through gritted teeth while her eyes stayed fixated on the butler.

"Later." Phoebe says calmly, "Hell, you could turn him into a lawn ornament after this but now is not the time. Just breathe."

Piper takes a deep breath as her eyes shift from the butler to Phoebe and she calms down. She exhales slowly and clears her throat.

"Good girl." Phoebe whispers as she turns around to face the butler.

"Mrs. Spencer and Ms. D'Mon do not like to be kept waiting, right?" Phoebe says with a smile, "Apr _ **è**_ s vous."

The butler turns around and walks out with Piper and Phoebe following closely behind.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

Piper, Phoebe and the butler walk into a room where Jade is being fitted into a royal purple wedding gown by a seamstress. Grace flashes a smile, obviously concealing her anguish as she watches Jade blush and strike various poses in her wedding dress.

"Miss Piper Halliwell." The butler introduces.

"Sure. Forget that I'm here. Not that I mind." Phoebe mutters as Piper elbows her to shut her up.

"Mrs. Spencer, it's so nice of you to see me…" Piper says as she lays eyes on Jade's wedding dress, "Um, wow…your dress, it's beautiful! I'd recognize that style anywhere. It's a Monique Lhuillier, isn't it?"

"Um…" Jade says as she looks at Grace and then at Piper, "Is it?"

"Um, how are things in the kitchen?" Grace segues the conversation in order to take the pressure off of Jade.

"Um, right on schedule…" Piper begins to ramble, "The lobsters arrive in the morning, the hors d'oeuvres are ready, Chef Moore is in France and the puff pastries are baking."

"What?!" Jade exclaims in anger.

"Chef Moore is gone?" Grace asks in disbelief.

"Yeah, I'll be handling the catering." Piper says softly.

"My wedding! It's ruined!" Jade says in a panic.

"Now you're being dramatic. Give me a break." Piper says as she rolls her eyes.

"Piper!" Phoebe grunts in an attempt to rein Piper back in. She smiles politely as she walks towards Jade and Grace, "Look, you don't know me. Hell, I barely know me."

Phoebe laughs loudly in an effort to soften the mood but the stone cold faces of Jade and Grace staring back at her tells her that she failed miserably.

"Okay, tough crowd." Phoebe whispers as she clears her throat, "Look, I do know my sister. She barely cares about anything and does not give a damn about what anyone thinks."

"Is this your idea of trying to help?" Piper asks.

"Shhh!" Phoebe says as she continues, "But for some reason, she cares a lot about making everything going perfect for this wedding. When she cares about her craft, you will be surprised at what she can do for you. She already ahead of schedule and she is actually putting her sweat, blood and tears into making sure there are no problems or glitches. So you should not only be grateful that Chef Moore dropped out but you should consider yourselves lucky."

"Hmmm." Jade says as she steps closer to the Halliwell sisters. She examines them and with a deadpan, serious face and voice says, "If there is even the slightest hitch, I will rip your soul out of your bodies and feed it to my dogs."

"Ohh…" Piper shudders and looks at Phoebe and then back at Jade.

"She's kidding!" Grace says as she steps in between the sisters and Jade.

Jade laughs and Piper chuckles nervously.

"So would that be all?" Grace asks.

"Yeah." Piper says as she turns around and walks away.

"We will leave you to it." Phoebe says as she flashes a nervous smile and follows Piper.

"What the hell was that?" Grace asks Jade.

"I'm sure you already know the answer to that question." Jade says as she brushes the hair from her eyes and smiles.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

The security guards sit in their shack with their backs turned to the security cameras. On the cameras, we see Father Trask slip out of one of the trucks and runs into the Estate, wielding a poignard.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

Elliot lies on his bed in his room reading a magazine. Allison sneaks into his room and quietly shuts the bedroom door. Her eyes water as she moves in closer to Elliot.

"Oh my Elliot…" she whispers, "What did they do to you?"

Elliot puts down his magazine and stares at Allison. His eyes were empty and hollow, although fixated on Allison, it felt as though his mind and attention were elsewhere.

"Listen to me, Elliot." Allison pleads, "This is not you. I don't know what she did to you but I will fix it. Jade will not get away with this."

Jade, Kristen and Grace walk into the room.

"Really, Allison?" Jade says as she folds her arms, "At first, your misery was entertaining and amusing but now it's just plain old pathetic."

"Pathetic? I'm not going to stand by and let you take away the love of my life." Allison says.

"Grace, call security before I throw her out of the window." Jade says.

"I'll lead her out myself." Grace says as she seizes Allison by the arm and drags her out.

Outside in the hallway, Allison breaks free and backs away from Grace.

"You can't get rid of me that easy." Allison says.

"I suggest you leave before you end up hurt…or worse." Grace warns.

"There's nothing worse than losing Elliot. I will fight for him or die trying." Allison vows.

Jade and Kristen steps out of the bedroom.

"That can be arranged." Kristen says as she steps towards Allison.

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

Piper and Phoebe walk towards the kitchen when they see Father Trask run past them and up the stairs.

"What the hell is going on?" Phoebe asks as she looks up.

"It's none of our business." Piper says as she walks towards the kitchen but Phoebe grabs her.

"It wouldn't hurt to find out." Phoebe says, "Just a peek?"

_**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-** _

As Kristen lunges towards Allison, Allison holds her hands up and a gust of wind emanates from her hands and throws Kristen and Jade across the hall as they crash through the door into Elliot's room.

"Allison?" Grace says in shock, "You too?"

"Not really." Allison says as she walks into the bedroom, "Quite the opposite."

Jade stands up and Kristen rises up as well.

"A good witch." Jade scoffs, "Would have never guessed."

"Well, I make it my job to keep my affairs to myself. Looks like I'm doing it right." Allison says as she pulls out a potion vial.

"A potion?" Kristen laughs, "You think a potion is going to vanquish the queen of the underworld?"

"Not vanquish but at least it will do some serious damage." Allison says as she holds the potion up.

Father Trask runs into the bedroom with his poignard, holding it up in defense, "Leave Hecate alone!"

"Et tu, father?" Allison says as she shakes her head, "I'm sorry for this."

Allison waves her hand and throws Father Trask against the wall behind Jade. He slides down and groans in pain.

"Hit me with your best shot." Jade says with a smile.

Allison winds her arm and throws the potion at Jade, but Father Trask jumps between them and the red vial hits him straight in the chest. The energy blast from the potion throws everyone back He flies through the window, screaming "Protect Hecate!" as he plummeted to his death.

Piper and Phoebe hear a blast and a few moments later, see Allison running down the stairs and out the door.

"What the hell?" Piper gasps as she runs after Allison with Phoebe right behind her.

"Oh my God." Phoebe gasps as she sees the sprawled body of Father Trask on the floor, the crimson liquid oozing from his scalp and eyes frozen open.

TO BE CONTINUED


End file.
